Finite Eternity
by AnalogTrash
Summary: This is an original story, set in the universe of the vampire television show; True Blood. All of the characters you will encounter, save one, are my original creations. It is an adult story, with adult themes, and vivid, graphic depictions of death, sex, and torture. I hope you enjoy it, as I've poured my heart and soul into this and am truly proud to present it you.
1. The Blood Shower

Pumping waves of fast paced electronica washed over the crowd of raised arms and sweaty chests. Their feet pounded on the dance floor as the beat twisted its way into their hearts and minds, leading them into a trance. They undulated with each other, hips against hips, arms around necks, lips on lips.

I watched as I danced in my raised glass cage above them, moving and twirling to the beat, occasionally slowing myself and casting my eyes over the crowd. I rocked my head back in a guttural laugh; my fangs bared and became a blur in the glass. The music picked up, blasting through the walls and eardrums of every human and vampire in the crowd. This was it, the crescendo of the music and night.

The bass annihilated every shred of sanity left in the building; a dark haze rolled through the crowd and from the spout above me poured the sweetest rain. I held my hands above my head and then shoved it into my face. The blood ran past my throat and lit me on fire; it beaded and streamed in the dips of my chest and abdomen. It dipped under my thighs, electric to my icy flesh. I ran my hands up my stomach and over my neck, pushing the thick liquid through my hair. My tongue raced around my lips and over my fangs, soaking in the intoxicating nectar.

The music died down, and the crowd slowly dispersed. I showered the blood off my skin and changed out of the soaked shorts, boots, and harness I was wearing for something less conspicuous and took off into the night looking for a meal before the burning sun took its place in the sky.


	2. Draped in Scarlet

I came too just after sunset and stepped out the dark basement, then sped off into the night. The stars were dim, and clouds hung heavy in the sky beginning to sprinkle the ground with their magic. I could smell the purity they brought to the air, it was pristine and fresh, and soon the earth too would smell of it. I soaked up the beautiful darkness before I came to the club where I'd spend another night dancing and looking menacing for the humans.

Adrian was standing outside by the door and tipped his head my direction.

"Jacqueline would like a word with you." He said in his distinctive Slavic accent.

"Right away." I responded and stepped in, he shut the door behind me and I went down the stairs into the grand underground dance floor. I stepped behind the bar and went past the door labeled "Employees Only: You've been warned." Through there was an L-shaped hallway with doors to both sides. At the end was the office I was looking for. I knocked and was beckoned in.

"Ah Leon, always punctual." Said the beautiful cherry red haired vampire sitting on the desk. She was a famous vampire, known in some sects for her brutality, in others for her stunning body and angelic face.

I exhaled a laugh and moved towards her, she held out her hand, I took to my knee and kissed it, smiling as I rose. "You wanted to see me?" My hands went behind my back, holding one another.

"So poised, I do love that about you." She paused for a moment, looking me over before continuing. "No work tonight, I'm sorry dear. Apparently the health department heard about our blood fountains and wants to 'investigate'." She rolled her eyes and knocked her head back. "I hate humans. Their regulations and ethics make me sick." Her fangs unsheathed and she took up a compact, looking over her face.

"So until they're satisfied, we're closed." She looked up, closing her compact. "Fabulous, non?"

"Incroyablement. Toujours." Her lips turned up in a grin as she stood.

"What a charmer. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." Her finger flicked over my nose and she held out her hand. "Take it, it's on the house." She dropped a phone into my hands, it had a touch screen and far too many complexities, but I thanked her and set it in my pocket.

"I'll call you once we're back in business, hopefully it won't be too long."

"If all goes well." She touched my face and winked as she turned around, my cue to leave, and before she sat I was back in the open air.


	3. A Feast for the Eyes

"Ugh, God I hate these things." The phone Jacqueline gave me was an absurdity; I played with it for a few minutes on a hill far from the on-going rain storm. After my frustrations had gotten the better of me I dumped it back in the inside chest pocket of my coat and laid back propped up on my elbows. The stars here were bright and beautiful, the moon almost full, it wouldn't be but a day or so now until it beamed with sliver light.

"Leon." Said a familiar voice from the dark. I shot up with fangs unsheathed to see a tall, extremely handsome vampire standing against the large tree trunk, looking up at the sky. "Tuck those away; You'll put an eye out." He said turning towards me, a smile flashing across his face. I let out an utterly human laugh and drew my fangs back in.

"It's been a while Ondre." I smiled at him, looking over his six foot, four inch frame. His shoulders were wide and his chest was broad, his torso like it was carved from stone. My eyes wandered farther than I'd like to admit, and I was caught.

"See something you like?" He asked cocking his head towards me.

"You're no more appealing than the rotting possum I passed coming up here."

He snorted a laugh and I had to turn away from him. He and I had a sordid history of sex, violence, and murder. A history that no amount of trying would erase from memory.

I first met Ondre a few years after my transformation. I was stalking my way through the 1921 cityscape of New York when I stumbled across him feeding on a girl. He held her up against a wall and upon noticing me turned and asked "Would you like a taste, she's delicious. B+ I believe." After that he and I traveled together, sharing much more than the occasional mortal.

He was quiet about his history but claimed to be born in 1284 and turned in 1312 by a vampire in what is now the Romanian countryside. He was grotesque and callous when it came to all things human and had stories that would turn my long dead skin cold and send a shiver up my rotten spine. I held on to some of these, as I had not only witnessed them, but had been more than willing to engage.

"So what's my favorite youngster been up to these past...what, forty, fifty years?" He said, pulling my focus back to the present, sitting down beside me.

"Fifty three years actually, and I've been just fine." I knew he'd be able to feel the hurt in my words, but I didn't try to hide it, there was no use in that. He draped his arms over my shoulders with his hand over my chest. He nudged his nose into the nape of neck and took in a breath, then shaking his head as he sat up.

"You smell like that synthetic shit. Given up on the real thing?"

"You could say that. You reek of death and misery."

"Ever since I left you." I could hear the smile slide across his mouth as he said that and I shrugged him off.

We sat in silence for a time, being so close to him was as painful as it was soothing.

"Why are you here, Ondre?" I finally asked him.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me. I'm immortal, I'll have been everywhere at some point, this time it's Virginia." I let out a sigh and felt his hand on my head, at the base of my skull, his fingers snaking through my hair. "Lighten up Leon, enjoy my company, I enjoy yours."

I could have plunged my fist through his face for all the evil I put into the world with him, all the life I took under his arm. But instead I leaned into it, and rested against him laying my hand on his hip.

"There you go." He said and stroked my side.


	4. Immortal Man of Mystery

"So, you're working for Jacqueline? How's that going?" Ondre asked, his fingers flicking through the phone she gave me. "I can smell her, Dear."

"You know Jacqueline?" I couldn't explain my surprise; all immortals are bound to cross paths at one time or another. Ondre curled his mouth into a smile without taking his eyes off the glowing screen.

"Watch yourself with her, she's fucking crazy." He dropped the phone in my front coat pocket and laid his hands on my hips. "We need to get some blood in you, what are you feeling? White, black? Asian?" His lips touched my neck at the base of my ear and he pulled me closer to his body.

"Stop it. I don't feed off of humans anymore." Ondre laughed, his breath rushing past my ear.

"That's just absurd. How could a vampire stop drinking human blood? I mean, nowadays people line up to be bitten. Why, with just half an hour I bet I could find five humans who would throw themselves at you." Now he was in front of me, his hand under my chin staring into my eyes with intrigue and bloodlust.

"I told you no. I don't care how many fools line up to be eaten, I'm not touching them." It was a moment before I realized I had crossed my arms. I unfolded them, watching the smirk run across his inviting face. We walked in silence for a time, until the forest opened up to a wet and poorly lit road.

"Here we are." Ondre said, holding out his arms and stepping onto the pavement.

"Where is this? Are we still in Virginia?"

"Possibly." He took a phone from the back pocket of his navy blue straight-leg jeans. I caught myself staring at him as he walked across the road. He barely spoke, saying only "Now." in his native Hungarian before touching the screen and slipping it back in his pocket. He saw me before I had time to react and smiled, then stepped towards me. "If you want to fuck, we can do it right here."

"Romantic." I said dryly.

I could hear the hum of an engine off in the distance, it got louder and more distinct with every passing second until it pulled up in front of us. It was a long, black limousine with a sleek and shiny finish. Its windows were completely blacked out and it lacked all other distinguishing features.

"This is us." Ondre said stepping towards the vehicle. As he moved towards it, the door opened on its own revealing a beautiful black interior with an open sitting area containing several plush, leather benches with high backs. It oozed with sinister appeal. Ondre stepped in and turned to look at me. "Come on now, we haven't got all night. Cicero's is waiting." He said and after a moment of uncertainty, I followed him in.


	5. Seduction and Charm

Ondre sat across from me, his feet propped up on the table between us.

"Where'd you get those?" I motioned towards his boots which were clearly expertly tailored. He sat up and placed his feet on the floor.

"Friends. High places. You know." He knocked his head back, tossing the thin black hair from his eyes. I took a drink from the bottle of TruBlood he bought me and leaned into the plush, wingback chair. There was a moment of silence between us before I spoke.

"Who?" He stared at me for a moment before letting a smile crack through the marble.

"No one you'd know." His eyes danced around the room and I knew he'd tell me no more. "So you seriously drink that shit?" He threw a look of disgust at the bottle I just drank from.

"You ever try it?" He snorted a laugh and shook his head. I grabbed the bottle and passed it to him.

He took it with surprising caution. "It's not going to kill you." I mocked.

"You sure?" He said waving it under his nose. He looked up at me in disbelief.

"Drink it. It's good."

"Bullshit." He said before I could finish the thought. His hand trembled a bit before he threw it back and instantly his face showed how he felt. His lips puckered and his brow furrowed as he forced it down. I fell back in the chair laughing at his dramatics. He held the bottle for a moment, then crushed it in his hand and threw it to the ground, attracting some attention from the surrounding tables.

"Smart." I said looking at the blood trickle down his fingers. He shook the glass from his wounds and laid his hand on the table. His skin closing up before it hit the wooden surface.

"That was terrible." He said looking up through his hair at me.

I smiled and grabbed his hand, running my thumb through the speck of blood left on his skin. Our eyes met and I felt myself moving in closer to him. "You know what's even worse?" I whispered.

"What's that?" We were closer still; I picked up his hand and laid it in mine.

"You drank the last of it. Get me another." I dropped his hand on the table and kicked back in the chair, propping my feet up on the table, crossing my arms behind my head. Ondre's face was a brew of confusion and intrigue, with a light shining behind it. A light I'd been unaware I was slowly dying without until I saw it.

He stood up and left the table without speaking, only his hand atop my head before he disappeared into the crowd. It was dim here in Cicero's, the low hanging lights emitting a faint red glow. There were tables all around us, some like ours, some not. The most prominent feature of the room was the complete absence of windows. Humans called it 'light-tight', but it was truly nothing more than a crypt. A beautiful, crimson crypt and every beating heart was nothing more than a grave marker.

* * *

Ondre returned shortly, and without my drink but he wasn't alone. A young blonde woman stood beside him, hanging on to his arm. A wave of rage rolled through me at the sight of her touching him. She looked down to me and waited for a cue from Ondre. "This, Anthony, is Danielle. Danielle, this is Anthony." Ondre said. The woman reached out to me, palm down. Ondre and I exchanged a look and I knew instantly what he was planning.

I smiled at her and stood, taking her hand kissing it twice before turning it over and kissing her wrist. As I rose I made sure she saw my fangs. Feigning embarrassment I tucked them away to see her eyes light up with fear, and Ondre's explode with excitement. I could hear her pace quicken, and I could smell the tiny droplets of sweat under her arms. She looked lightheaded, and fell against Ondre as he struggled to contain himself. It was strange to see him with such blood lust; he hadn't changed a bit in the time since he'd been gone. He wanted this girl's blood and without so many witnesses, he'd have done it right here.

We charmed our way out of the club and into the evening, Danielle clinging to the man she knew as Jeremiah. We walked towards the featureless black limousine Ondre and I had arrived in, a gift he said.

"Wow. Is that yours?" She asked her mouth dropping open in amazement. We continued, Ondre only smiling at her. "It's beautiful!" Her voice was shrill and becoming ever more intolerable. The door opened as we reached it and she stopped, looking to us.

"Please, go in, we're right behind you." Ondre said, flashing his fangs and she scrambled inside.

I shut the door before he could get in and stood in front of him, our faces inches from each other. He raised an eyebrow and turned his head.

"Are we going to fuck...or kiss?" He said slowly stepping towards me, pressing his chest against me. I stared at him for a moment before shoving him back.

"What are you doing?" I barked.

"Something I said?" He asked dismissively.

"You're planning on killing her aren't you?"

"Well, I'm not planning on it but it isn't going to ruin the night."

I shook my head at him and moved aside from the door. He raised an eyebrow to me and stepped inside as I slunk down to the pavement, falling against the vehicle.

I touched my hand to my head and sat quiet. Ondre was the same as he had been before me, as he had been with me, and after me. But I couldn't blame him, vampires aren't known for being of dynamic character. After a few moments alone with my thoughts and the sprinkling rain the door opened and Danielle stumbled out, looking disheveled but very much alive. She straightened out her dress and walked back to the club. Ondre poked his head out and laughed a bit.

"Coming in, my Love?" After a few seconds of silence I stood up and got in, sitting opposite him.

* * *

"She's alive! You saw her!" He said after a few minutes on the road.

"That doesn't make it right, Ondre." I said lightly.

"Not everyone can live off of that vile drink you do! I like the feel of a pumping heart flowing directly into my mouth. Rushing over my tongue, flooding my throat and gushing into my belly. And I know for a fact that you love it the same. So don't give me your stupid 'humans are our friends' bullshit because any vampire worth his weight in ash knows that they are food. We are the hunters, they are the prey. It's always been that way and always will!" It wasn't until he finished that he realized what he was saying, and who he was saying it to. He jerked back and retracted his fangs. He was silent a moment then he looked up at me. "I am so sorry Leon. I didn't mean to yell at you like that." He was leaning in when he spoke, his hands cupped, looking incredibly sincere.

"It was better than your silence..." I said quietly, my eyes jerking up towards him then quickly away.

It was quiet again. "I fucked you up, huh?" Ondre said, reaching for my hand. I let him take it, and he moved beside me, putting an arm around me. "Yeah, that's what I thought."


	6. Discoveries on the Dance Floor

It had been days since my last exchange with Ondre. I'd spent most of that time hidden away in the dark, abandoned house I'd taken refuge in. The basement was tiny, like the rest of the house. Tiny and inconspicuous, hidden in the dense forests of Virginia. It was completely overgrown with greenery, growing from the porch, out of the gutters and along the floors. It had been a quiet cottage one time, many years ago. But now it was silent, cold, and dead.

I was standing against the back of the hovel when the phone in my pocket went off, the phone Jacqueline gave me. I fished it out seeing the screen only had a telephone symbol, ringing off the hook as it would appear. It took a moment but I found out how to answer the call.

It was Jacqueline's voice. "Bonsoir mon amour." She said, her native French touched with an American accent.

"Bonsoir. Comme ça va?" I asked, hearing a light laugh on the other end.

"I'm just fine, Darling." I could hear another voice behind hers. It was one I didn't recognize, deep, heavy, and a bit sluggish. Quite possibly one of the many vampires she's been associated with over the centuries. "We're open. Get down here in 10 minutes or you're working the floor." She hung up after that to drive her point home and I stood up from the wall and took off into the night.

* * *

Jacqueline was right; the club was open and full to burst. I sped through the crowd and into the back, slipping out of the muddy jeans and wet coat I came in and into tonight's costume. There was no shirt, only a pair of the tightest black leather pants I'd ever seen and a large pair of black stiletto-heeled boots clearly made to accommodate a man's foot.

While I struggled into the shoes Jacqueline came up behind me, helping me stand. Her hair was down, hanging in large, loose curls.

"Careful Darling, those shoes are very expensive." She said holding me up.

"Only the best, right?" I said, shoving my foot into the second one.

"Nothing but." She said pulling down the pants, barely exposing my hipbones. "Ouah la..." She said, her hands lingering on my waist. I pulled the shoe over my ankle and stood, forcing her to step aside. "I don't think I could wear it better." She said looking over me.

I grabbed the black fingerless gloves and pushed them over my hands, tying the tiny leather stings at the wrists.

"So, a bit of bad news. You're on the floor." She touched a finger to her mouth, the other laid across her waist.

I hated working the floor. By the morning I'd be thoroughly covered in a combination of puke, alcohol, and blood. I sighed as I put on the militaristic cap and tucked my hair beneath it.

"Lighten up. You'll be fine." She said and turned around to leave. "Bonne chance!" She called out before the door shut behind her.

* * *

It was my duty to sell out my flesh for Jacqueline. I was to walk around, seducing men and women alike into paying for our overpriced drinks. We could not glamour them, but at times I seemed to be the only one keeping policy. By 11pm I had made the bar an easy $500 and I motioned towards Alexis, the bar keeper, that I was going on break. She nodded her head and I made my way for the door. Passing by a vampire feasting on the neck of young, drunk girl something caught my eye, then my arm.

"Hello, hello, hello..." Ondre said, pulling me towards him. "How much for a dance?" He said biting his lip.

"For you? How much you got?" I said stepping towards him.

"More than I could fit down those pants." He put his hands on my sides and pulled me closer to him. His eys drifted from mine to my neck, past my chest and down my stomach, then back up.

"Are you going to stare all night?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hopefully not." He said tucking a finger under the waistband of my pants. I pulled him off of me and stepped away, turning and walking out of the side door.

He followed me out and stood in front of me. "So...You're on break? Or something?"

"Or something." I said.

"What would you need a break from in there? It's fucking fantastic!" I tilted my head and stared. "Oh, yeah. I forgot, you don't like blood." He was teasing, but I didn't care. "Which makes your shower dance all the more interesting..." He said shrewdly. I looked up instantly to see a sly smile creeping across his face. He held his hand under his chin, his eyes flicking over my body.

I was quiet a moment. "You saw that, huh?"

"Oh yes, there's no way I was going to miss that."

"How long?" I asked quickly.

"Huh?" He jerked back to reality and stared at me with a blank stare.

"How long have you been in Virginia?"

"A bit." He said dismissive.

"How long, Ondre?"

"I don't know, a few days before I found you on that hill. Why?" I was acting childishly. Being hurt that he'd been here longer than he let on, I bit my tongue and let out a long exhale

"Did you come here to find me?" He was silent for a moment.

"Not directly."

"Not directly?"

"Not directly, no."

"Who then?" He was quiet again, and then turned his ear towards the door. Adrian poked his head out.

"You alright out here, Leon?" He asked.

"I'm fine, thank you Adrian." He eyed Ondre and then looked back towards me. "I'm fine, Adrian. I'll be back in just a few." I smiled at him, which seemed to reassure him as he went back inside, the heavy metal door shutting a few seconds later.

"Not now. Not here." Ondre said. "When do you get off?"

"At about three. Why?" I was confused, and something didn't feel right. The look he gave me said it all.

He was in front of me his hands on my hips. "Go in there, and have the most normal work night you've ever had. When you get out, leave that phone she gave you in your locker and go to the end of the street. I'll see you then." His voice trailed off and I found myself staring into his enchanting sage green eyes. I was being pulled into them and I felt my body against his. I gasped and my hand moved up his back, bringing him closer.

A sound snapped me back to earth and before I could place it I was alone. Adrian stepped out and threw me a puzzled look. After a moment of shame I plucked myself from the cold wall and stepped inside, my heels clicking on the pavement.

* * *

I walked out of the club and down the street, just like Ondre said. When the road met the highway I saw a black car, similar to the limousine Ondre had taken me to Cicero's in. It started up and I made my way towards it, only for it to pull up beside me, the door opening automatically.

"Get in, we've got to talk." Ondre said.

"About what?"

"Your former boss, Jacqueline." I stepped in and before the door could shut we were speeding down the highway.


	7. An Extended Stay

Ondre drove with one hand as we blazed through the countryside. "Your former boss, Jacqueline Marie Laurent, is under investigation by the Vampire King of Virginia." He said looking up through his hair at me. "She's believed to be plotting something against him, something big."

I wasn't surprised, not entirely. Jacqueline was insane, and equally vindictive. I thought of the voice I heard on the phone, but decided to keep quiet and listen.

"For the past year or so, very prominent vampires in hers and the surrounding districts have gone silent. No trace, no word, nothing. Outspoken friends of the Crown, sheriffs, benefactors, but most importantly the King's own protégé has recently gone missing."

"That's why you're here." I said beginning to understand. Ondre curled his lips into a smile and he continued.

"Exactly. Which brings us to you."

"Me?" Before I could finish the thought I knew what he meant.

"I believe she's planning on dumping the blame on you. That phone was nothing but a sophisticated tracking device."

"When'd you figure all this out?"

"It wasn't easy, but she's not as smart as she thinks. She's been working indirectly through something of a middle man. Someone, under Jacqueline's orders, drops some info; name, schedule, time, date, and location."

"How does she know all of that?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's got someone on the inside." He looked over at me now. That's why he was here. The King couldn't trust anyone, so he brought in Ondre. He was old, powerful, and smart. It was unclear why the King trusted him so much, perhaps they had history, perhaps Ondre charmed his way in; something he was incredibly skilled at doing.

"They've all been taken during the day. Taken or eliminated."

"There's evidence of that? Of..." I couldn't say it, but Ondre stepped in and took over again.

"Yes, three of the five missing sheriffs were found liquefied inside their coffins. Several others have suffered the same fate, but I doubt they're taking prisoners." A grim look crept across his lips. "Terrible, right?"

I nodded solemnly. That was a horrible way to go. During the day a vampire is totally and wholly vulnerable. We burn to cinders at the sunlight, and in a wicked twist of irony, all vampires fear the might of the wooden stake.

"It's obvious she's waging war on the Crown." Ondre proclaimed.

"But the Authority? Shouldn't they be the ones to look into this?" Ondre snorted.

"The Authority would stake the King and hand over his Kingdom, no problem. Jacqueline is weak and stupid. She'd be their puppet before she ever sat on the throne."

"So no idea who this traitor is?"

"None." He said sharply. It grew quiet and I drifted off for a moment.

"And what about the human-"

"Nope."

"First case?" I teased. He twisted his head around and flashed his teeth in a light smile.

"Is it that obvious?" I laughed, feeling the weight of the situation beginning to sink in. We were quiet for a time until the call from earlier came roaring back from memory.

"I didn't think anything of it before now but this evening she called me. Telling me to come back to work and she wasn't alone, there was another person in the room with her."

"Did you hear anything?" His eyes widened and he leaned in towards me.

"No, no. Nothing. I could just hear his voice, but it was someone I didn't recognize." He looked me over for a second then turned back to the road, his jaw jutting out a bit deep in thought.

"Well, make sure you tell him that." He said as we pulled up along a high brick fence.

"Tell who?"

"The King." We approached a great metal gate with an intricate swirling design. The gate opened as we came up to it and we drove in. The pavement rolled over several hills until finally a great southern plantation house came into view. It had great white columns at the front supporting a massive deck with doors every few feet in perfect symmetry.

"Is this...?"

"It is." He said as the men in the black suits became visible. We stopped just in front of the house and they stood on either side of the car. "Relax. This'll be fun." He said and stepped out of the car, crossing in front of it.

I was nervous, something I hadn't felt in a long, long time. I wasn't sure where this would lead me, but I took Ondre's hand, and walked beside him into the house.

* * *

We were shuffled into the main hall of the mansion, guards stood on all sides of the room but Ondre stood beside me, and that was all it took to pacify me. It was a few moments before the doors were thrown open and an incredibly large, wide, black vampire stepped in. He was wearing a beautiful, tailored suit and instantly I knew who Ondre's friend was. The King smiled brightly and shook Ondre's hand. I stood quiet and observed the two of them. They spoke like old friends, Ondre told a joke and the King laughed a hearty booming laugh.

Then he turned towards me.

"Hello Mr. Karston. My name is Jackson, Jackson Smith. Vampire King of Virginia." His hands stayed clasped together behind his back. I dipped my head and smiled. He was an absolutely massive vampire, standing even taller and wider than Ondre.

"Hello my King. Thank you so much for having me in your home."

"Look at the little politician." He said towards Ondre. "Tell me Leon, did Ondre tell you why you're here? Why he's here?"

"Yes he did, Your Majesty. It would appear Jacqueline is cutting you off, taking out your eyes, ears, and hands." Ondre and Jackson exchanged a look, and he let out another rolling bellow of laughter.

"Smart one you've got here." He said to Ondre. "Follow me, would you please Leon? I'd like to talk to you in private." He held out his arm, motioning his head towards me. I stepped forward and laid my hand on his forearm. The door he came through opened and he lead me through another large, well lit, well-guarded hall and into a darker room with several bookshelves and a desk in front of the stone fireplace. We stepped in and he nodded towards one of the large Victorian-era chairs that were before the desk. I sat and he sat across from me, the roaring fire behind his imposing frame made me nervous.

"Don't be nervous Leon. I only want to ask you some questions." There was a knock at the door and he called the person in. A young looking female vampire with incredibly long dark brown hair entered carrying a glittering platter with a bottle of TruBlood in the center. It was type B+, my favorite.

"Enjoy." She said in a thick southern accent. I picked it up from the platter and popped it open. It was warm, heated perfectly. I touched the bottle to my lips and took a drink, then held it in my lap.

"Your favorite, correct?" The King asked, and I nodded taking another drink. It went down easily, and I had to take another before I could stop myself. "Ondre said it was."

"Did he give you my full name, too?" The King smirked.

"He did, among other things." I didn't know how many vampires the King had outside this room, waiting for me to stake him, but I knew they were out there. This vampire, for as powerful as he was, was scared. The horde of security surrounding his home said it all. "So, did she ever say anything out of the ordinary to you? Specifically within the past two nights."

"No. She called me for the first time in almost a week this evening."

"What did she say?"

"Just that we were open and she was expecting me in 10 minutes."

"Was anything different about her when you spoke to her?"

"Ugh, well. She sounded...annoyed. She was short with me, and she's always loved flirting with me." I felt odd saying this, but I knew keeping secrets from the King would be a bad decision. He looked entertained for a moment, probably having as much difficulty picturing her and I in the throes of passion as I did.

"She wasn't alone."

"Excuse me?" He asked puzzled.

"When she was on the phone for me. The call wasn't long, only a few seconds but I could hear another voice in the room." The King was interested, his eyes narrowed as he listened. "It was a deep voice, one I didn't recognize, but I believe it was a man."

"Did he say anything?"

"Yes, but I couldn't make it out. I have no idea what he said." The King sat quiet for a moment; his eyes were staring through me, like he was deep in thought.

"Thank you Mr. Karston." He said and stood. The door opened and three vampires walked through. The same female as before flanked by two guards. "Annabelle, please show Mr. Karston to his room.

"Room?" I asked as she stepped towards me, holding out her hand. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a white, frilled, skintight blouse.

"Yes, Mr. Karston. The King has arranged for you and Ondre to share a room during your stay." She said, her posh southern accent thick.

I sat still for a second, with a puzzled look on my face.

"He said you wouldn't mind, is there a problem?" The King spoke this time.

"Oh, no, no. Of course not. I'm so sorry." I said and stood, taking the bottle of TruBlood with me as I was rallied out of the office and up a flight of stairs.

* * *

"This is it. If you need anything at all, just ask and I'll see to it you get it." She smiled wide and I tried to match her without looking uncomfortable. It must not have worked because she put a hand on my shoulder. "You're going to be just fine; you're in good company here." She said and turned away, leaving me to the suits. It took only a moment and I stepped into the room, the doors shutting behind me. I turned around seeing a thick sheet of silver on the doors, there was no way any vampire was getting through those.

"Leon? You're done already?" Ondre's voice called out to me from deep in the room.

"I suppose I am. Where the hell are you?" I said stepping through an archway that opened up into a white marbled bathroom. I saw him standing on the stone floor, beads of water streaming off the contours of his back and thighs. A large, white towel draped his waist, covering his rear. After a moment he dropped it and turned around, not looking surprised to see me staring.

"So...A shared room? I could live that..." I said watching him slink towards me.


	8. Ignition

He was glorious. His chest was sprinkled with the same black hair that hung over his forehead. It trickled down his stomach, covering his thighs and legs. He touched my face, his wet thumb gliding across my cheek. His other hand lay on my hip, gently pulling me closer. I couldn't speak, without permission my hands raised on their own, my fingers wrapped around his robust arm.

Time seemed to stop around us, and we stood together, inching closer and closer. His hand crept up my back; the other was gently touching my collar, his thumb tracing my jaw line. It passed under my chin and I gasped feeling the damp flesh of his stomach against mine. My eyes shut as another sound escaped. Tiny drops of water ran down my abdomen and his thumb passed over my lips. My lips parted and he ran over the bottom. I kissed his thumb, twice, three times. I felt his flesh on my teeth and without control my fangs showed themselves. He slid down its side smoothly, reaching its point he pressed lightly, and I felt it go in. His finger swept across my tongue and mouth formed around him. I opened my eyes to see him hunched over, fangs drawn, staring at his finger.

His blood was richer, and stronger than his scent. I tasted the earth, its vegetation, its decay. He pulled out slowly, dragging blood onto my lips. I could feel him pressing into my stomach, but not with his hands. They pulled the shirt off of my head and tossed it aside. Then moved down my sides, his thumbs digging into me. I shut my eyes and thrust myself into him.

His lips were soft and plump, just as they were all those years ago. For a moment he was stunned, then I felt his arm wrap around my waist and I was in the air. Our lips molding to those of the other, locking together and breaking apart only to come together again. I heard, or thought I heard, something crash and break but I was fully mesmerized by the body up against mine.

I had a fistful of his hair when I realized we were atop the massive bed provided by the King. Ondre was on top of me, one of his hands restraining mine above my head, the other undulating over my waist. He pulled away from me and I could see him, the water that covered him moments before had all vanished, his hair was the only part that remained wet and it hung daintily in his hypnotic eyes. He leaned in and we kissed; I felt my body jerk upwards towards him.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I felt his hand slip under my waistband. He held me with a light, sensual grip and I whined from the tension. He had my pants off before I could open my eyes, and he straddled me. Feeling my flesh to his almost made up for the decades of silence I had endured, and looking into his eyes as he leaned in I saw something I'd been missing for years. I saw love in his eyes.

Our lips met again, then he turned my head to the side in a powerful motion and I felt his breath on the side of my neck. First it was only his lips, they touched my neck, gradually opening I felt his teeth graze my flesh. I moaned and squirmed underneath him, my hands climbed up his body and dug into his back. He jerked upward hissing in pain and pleasure and I saw the blood pouring over his teeth and knew he had bitten me. I pushed myself to his level and wrapped my arms around his neck, our fangs meeting we pulled away for only a moment, then reconnected.

His hand gripped me wonderfully tightly and perfectly loosely, tugging, pulling, stroking. My head kicked back and my hips bucked against him.

"Lay back." He whispered softly in my ear. I kissed him and obeyed, slinking down to the mattress. He followed me down, kissing my neck, my chest, and then my stomach. His hands moved below and pushed my legs apart.

"Ondre..." I cried, barely able to speak as I felt his mouth kissing what he held so tenderly. He kissed its entire length before I felt his tongue against it, I felt myself resting on his fangs.

My eyes fluttered around in my skull and I could no longer control my breathing. I panted, sharp, gaspy inhales followed by long, breathy exhales. My fingers twisted in his hair, my fingertips stimulating and massaging his scalp. My legs lay open, his arm between them, his fingers prepping something else.

He stopped, only for a moment to flip me over and climb atop me. His lips molded to my neck, gnawing and chewing at my flesh. My hand reached up and gripped him at the base of his skull holding him to me. We pushed against each other in perfect timing; bumping, thrusting, and rattling together.

My neck jerked back and I felt he had entered me. Slow at first, his hand gripped around my shaft he pumped and knocked against me. My legs went weak and I slumped to the bed, totally lost in his momentum. He gasped for air like I did, and could feel him losing resolve. He got faster, much faster and much, much harder. I held my eyes shut and whined underneath him. His fist pumping with his hips I lost control and whimpered before I groaned, releasing 53 years of tension into the bedspread. All of my muscles tightened and I felt him fill my insides. He twitched and jerked inside of me for a moment, then slowly pulled out.

"Fuck..." He said falling to the bed beside me. I couldn't speak, I could barely think. I rolled over on top of him, laying a kiss on his lips before I gave into ecstasy and exhaustion, and fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up; fearing last morning had been nothing but a nightmare, only to find my barbarian beneath me. He was still asleep, and for a moment I closed my eyes and relived what happened before we fell asleep. It wasn't long before I felt him move, his hand lightly tracing circles in the flesh of my shoulder.

"Hello there." He said, my eyes still shut.

"Hello." I answered and looked up at him. He was looking at me with a smile on his face and in his eyes.

"You look awful. Rough night?" He joked, but he was right. I could feel the dried blood on my neck and face. I looked at the blanket covering us and saw the dark, starchy reminders of a night of fun.

I smiled looking back to him. "Something like that." Then I remembered where we were, and why we were here and I knew I wouldn't be with him all night. My hand gripped his side and I kissed his bare chest.

"Let's take a shower." He said after a moment of silence. I struggled with the decision, but got up anyway and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Sure, but ugh...What am I supposed to wear?" I motioned towards the destroyed pair of pants on the floor. Ondre laughed from the doorway and pointed towards the set of double doors opposite the bed.

"That's the closet, Annabelle had it stocked before we ever showed up last night."

"What?" Ondre raised an eyebrow and walked to the doors. Throwing them open he revealed an enormous assortment of clothes. I stepped away from the bed and into the closet; there were jackets, blazers, shirts, pants, slacks, jeans, shoes, sneakers, and boots. More clothes than I'd ever seen in one place.

"And all of this is mine?"

"Ours actually." He grabbed my hand and led me away from the clothes and into the bathroom. There I noticed a great dent in the marble of the wall. There were several pieces on the floor and I realized what I heard last night. The crash was us, slamming against the wall as we slammed into each other.

He adjusted a knob on the wall and walked towards the center of the bathroom. My eyes lingered on his body as he walked, and I felt myself heating up. Water began to pour from the shower head that hung from the center of the ceiling and Ondre held his hand out under it.

"Nice and warm..." He turned around, scooped me into his arms and walked me under the water.

* * *

There was a knock at the door, and Ondre popped up from the chair he was sitting in.

"That's for me, Love." He was in front of me, and pulled me in close to him. "I'll be back before dawn." He kissed the top of my head, then my lips. A kiss I tried to hold on to, but felt him pulling away. I stopped, and heard him say "Come in please."

A second later the door thrust open; standing in the doorway was the vampire I met the night prior, Annabelle.

"Good evening, all." She smiled, looking poised and sophisticated she was flanked by two of the nameless guards that seemed to be everywhere.

"Good evening, Annabelle." Ondre said, he spoke to her like a friend, someone he knew. He stepped towards her as she turned her attention to me. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom and the room with the door to the hallway; I had been looking through the closet when the knock came. I held my arms over my stomach in an act of modesty and purposefully avoided looking at the guards.

"Hello." I said cautiously.

"Ondre, The King has requested you, at once." He turned around and kissed me once more before thanking Annabelle and walking out, the guards walking on either side of him.

"I see you found the closet. Big isn't it?" She said in the doorway.

I laughed out of nerves and nodded my head.

"Do you need some help going through it all?" She stepped in and towards me.

"Actually, yes." I didn't need her help, but I wanted her company and her information. She smiled and stepped past me into the bathroom. She eyed the slab of marble missing from the wall and cut a sly smile at me. I felt embarrassed, but didn't say anything.

"I suspect the bed is in no better shape, am I right?" She said before stepping into the bedroom.

"Well, it's not ruined." I replied coyly. She laughed and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, this won't be our first broken wall." She continued into the bedroom where she better contained herself. She grabbed the far edge of the blanket and threw it over the bed, revealing clean sheets beneath. She continued into the closet, I followed close behind.

She had a way of walking, moving, that showed absolute confidence and poise. She reminded me of a princess, a princess with the sweetest southern accent I'd heard in decades, but a princess nonetheless. She kept her hands out to her sides, they moved gracefully through the air with each step. Her hair was pulled up in a bun atop her head without a single strand out of place. She stopped before the closet and held her hand up to me.

"Those pants look great." She said, her eyes running up and down my body. "How do you feel about heels?" She raised her eyebrow, and for a moment I was stunned by her intensity.

"Ugh, well. Ondre likes them." I said, biting my bottom lip thinking about how he looked at me at Jacqueline's club.

"So you can walk in them?" That's fantastic. Wait right here!" She squealed, her voice crackling with excitement. Then she took off, moving at vampire speed out of my room. A second later she was back holding two pair of high-heeled shoes. One was a bright crimson red all over. It was solid from the toes to the seven and half inch heel. The other was a loose, wide-mouthed boot; it was made of black leather with spikes embedded in the material. They ran down the heel which was much smaller than the other pair, only being around four inches long.

She laid them both on the bed and entered the closet. Confused, I picked one of the red pair up; it felt like it was made of velvet, but much too large to have fit on her foot. She stepped out of the closet and threw several articles on to the sheets. There were shirts, undershirts, jackets, and a coat. She seemed to be putting together two outfits for me to try, apparently with several options.

One piece caught my eye, it was a black military jacket made with silver detail running in three stripes across the front, each strip had a black button triangle detail of the end which acted in place of a zipper. Its sleeves came just past the elbows, and were slightly bunched. I picked it up and looked it over in my hands. It was absolutely incredible.

"Nice isn't it?" Annabelle said, snatching me from my fantasy.

"Nice? This is amazing." She giggled.

"It's yours." I looked up to see her grinning at me, her hands were cupped and she nodded her head once.

"Thank you, Ms.-"

"Oh, Lord. Please, call me Annabelle. And you're very welcome." She touched my arm in an act of familiarity. I loved it, and it was very kind of her to give it to me, she was clearly here to buy me on behalf of the side of The King.

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror and I had to admit, Annabelle knew fashion. Under my new jacket she had me wearing a red snakeskin print shirt. It was longer than the jacket and draped asymmetrically over my hips. My pants were skin-tight and slate grey, they ran seamlessly down my legs tucking into the wide-mouthed opening of the black boots Annabelle brought from her room. I was more than enough to shame the most stylish of supermodels.

I played with my hair, sweeping it from one side to another. Then I grabbed my jacket, pulling at the up-turned collar.

"Very1990's." Annabelle said stepping behind me. She stood to the left, because even in her sky-high heels I was taller than her. "You look fantastic." She straightened out my shoulders and collar, then adjusted my shirt. It felt awkward, but I let her go on. After a second she felt I was acceptable and backed away.

"Well, now that you're dressed I was wondering if you'd like to see the house. The King insists you have the grand tour." She was smiling, and I knew I couldn't turn her down. I nodded and we walked out of the room, doors opening as she came to them. I knew then the rooms weren't as private as I assumed. We walked past the guards and down the long hallway she led me through the morning prior.

"Now. You and Ondre are staying in one of the guest suites, there are several more, but yours is the most luxurious and spacious." She stated, walking along a series of doors which I assumed to be more room for guests. "Every room is equipped with the latest light-blocking technology, even the rooms with windows, although those are few and far between."

After what felt like an entire night of walking, listening, and nodding we stopped in front of the grand staircase which led directly down to the front door of the house.

"Wasn't that bad was it?" Clearly I needed to work on the control I had over my face.

"Well, it's a big house..." She laughed, and then agreed. We walked down the stairs and into the great hall Ondre and I had waited for The King in the night before. Like the rest of the house, there were guards here; they stood motionless at symmetrical intervals around the room.

"Annabelle?"

"Yes?"

"Where did Ondre go?"

"I believe he's out following a lead. He should be back before dawn, is everything all right?" She looked concerned, and I did my best to assure her but it was obvious I was thinking of him. I missed him.

"Leon! I see Annabelle had her way with you." I heard The King's booming voice call out. He was coming in from the far side of the room alone, his imposing figure nearly filling out the doorway.

"I can't say it's all her fault, I picked the shoes." I crossed my legs and placed my hands on my hips, turning my face towards the ceiling, feigning my best pose. Annabelle giggled, covering her mouth and ducking her head slightly. The King held his stomach in laughter and I saw one of the guards snicker, and I couldn't help myself, I broke character and joined in.

"Annabelle, do you mind if I take Mr. Karston off your hands for a moment."

"Not at all." She curtseyed and looked up at me momentarily. "Goodbye Leon." She ducked out of the room and I was alone with The King, for the most part.

"So really, you picked out those shoes?" He leaned over, looking at them.

"Well, she brought me a few options, but these just felt the most vampire to me."

He nodded his head and grinned.

"I like you Mr. Karston. I'd like to proposition an agreement if you'd hear me out."

I was nervous; there was no way I could refuse him. I could at least hear him out, this had to be good.

"Please, I'd love to negotiate." I smiled and held my hand out for his arm. He returned my smile and scooped my hand up on his arm, leading me out of the room we walked for a moment and came to a large set of doors, guards on either side.

"Gentlemen." He said and they dipped their heads and opened the doors, revealing an incredible garden complete with paving marble and ornate French light posts.

"I need your help Mr. Karston. Ondre's bringing in a human we believe to be the killer working on behalf of Jacqueline."

"And you need me to give him a listen, try to make sense of the second of voice I heard and match it to his?"

"That's all." He sounded passive; I could hear he was desperate for help. "You've seen I treat my friends well Mr. Karston, very well. You help me with this small favor, and you could become my newest, most appreciated friend."

I thought for a moment.

"And if this man's not the one I heard on the phone?" The King was silent, and I could see the tiny winkling of a tear form in his eye.

"Then we hunt until we find the man you heard." We walked for a time, and I weighed my options. I didn't want to get mixed up in this, but I felt Jacqueline deserved justice for taking so much vampiric life. I thought of the car, and the limo Ondre had driven me in. The coat I was wearing, the room I had slept in. Then I thought of Ondre, and my mind was made up.

"Mr. Smith. I'd love to." I held my hand out; The King smiled a great smile and shook my hand with great vigor.

"Thank you, Leon." He said, and as he broke away from me I felt something in my hand. It was an incredible wad of cash, a roll of one hundred dollar bills. "Say nothing of it, my friend." I held it in my hand and tucked it into the inside pocket of my jacket, feeling no different than I had a moment before. Money made no matter to me, but if he had more clothes to give, I'd listen to any human he brought to me.

"Excuse me, I hate to break a moment like this but I'm parched. Could I get a Tr-"

The King held a finger up to silence me and pointed towards Annabelle walking down the paved walkway, holding a glistening platter, a bottle of TruBlood in the center.

"Mr. Smith, Mr. Karston." She said passing me after I took the bottle. "Mr. Smith, it would appear you have a visitor." He thanked her, and excused himself. "Mr. Karston, if you'd like to accompany me The King would like you to wait in the great hall while he and his guest get more acquainted." Her voice held a sinister bite, and I knew who The King's visitor was. Ondre had arrived, vampire-slayer in tow.


	9. Barbie, the Brute, and a Broken Heart

Ondre was drenched in blood, most of which had dried but every few seconds a drop would roll off his sleeve or leg and hit the marbled floor. I walked up behind him, touching him on the shoulder.

"Have fun?" I asked dryly. Pivoting around he raised an eyebrow, looking over my outfit.

"Did you?" He said laying his hand on my side, running along the snakeskin shirt.

"You know, playing Vampire Barbie with Annabelle does have its perks." He sighed, making it sound like a chuckle.

"Who picked the shoes? Annabelle? Or Barbie?"

"Barbie." I said cutting my eyes at him. He was silent for a moment, and then I noticed his tongue was running along his teeth. I put my hand on his and squeezed it slightly, then tossed it from my hip and threw a look of displeasure his way. He was totally unfazed.

"So, whose blood might that be?" I pointed to dried blood covering his mouth and neck.

"I didn't get their names."

"Only their blood?" Ondre tipped his head and laughed, sounding amused with my morality.

"Hush now, here comes the Boss." Ondre threw his hands on my shoulders and spun me around, facing a set of wide double doors just as they opened revealing Jackson Smith. He was obviously flustered, with a fury burning in his eyes.

"Mr. Karston, if you'd please follow me. Ondre, these men will see you to your room." He spat and turned back out of the room. I looked at Ondre, who nodded towards The King and I hurried behind him.

* * *

The King moved swiftly through the long corridors of his massive home. Like the rest of the house, guards were stationed at every door.

Eventually we came to a solid wall with two guards standing about five feet apart. They stood motionless, as did The King. From deep within the wall I could hear something moving. It sounded mechanical but it was soft, softer than human ears could detect. After a moment the wall split down the middle to reveal a cold and spacious elevator; at the back wall stood two more guards.

The King stepped in and I followed after, not wanting to keep him waiting. Doors shut behind us and we began to move. The interior of the elevator was shining silver with black flooring; it was a stark contrast to the rest of the home. I felt uncomfortable, but I did my best to keep it to myself. After a few seconds the elevator stopped and the doors slid open revealing a long, well light corridor. The walls were made of featureless concrete, just like the floors. This was his dungeon.

We walked through the tunnel and came to a silvery-white door flanked by security. They opened the door and we walked in. There was a massive piece of glass at one end, which revealed a man sitting on the other side. He was middle-aged, and fit, incredibly fit. He wore a white tank top and blue jeans, both of which had been splattered with blood. The King stared at him, the fire in his eyes an inferno. He leaned against the glass and took a breath.

"This is the man we believe is responsible for the disappearances." The man was hunched over, holding his arms in front of him, his hands cuffed together. Every few moments he would jerk and twitch. I observed him, looking closer I could see he was grinding his teeth, hard. It had been some time since this man had his fix, and he was craving it.

"How much blood did Ondre find with him?"

"Three gallons."

That was enough for three vampires. He had been draining the blood from his victims, more than likely restraining them with silver until they ran dry. I looked at The King, but his gaze was fixed on the man in front of us. He was a murderer, a honed vampire killer, and hopelessly addicted to the blood that pooled beneath our flesh.

Just then he shot up out of the metallic chair and screamed, his face crimson red. He ducked his head and ran for the glass, only to be tackled to the floor by one of the vampire security. He kicked and flailed until three vampires lay atop him, pinning him immobile.

"I'll drain every one of you fangers dry!" He yelled, and I knew at once this man was not the one I heard on the phone with Jacqueline. I looked back at The King, this time he looked at me, and I shook my head.

"That's not the man I heard. I don't even think what I heard was English..." The King remained silent. "But if you found blood then you must have found his tools? Isn't that enough-"

"Enough to execute him, yes. Enough to link him to Jacqueline, no." He turned his attention away from me and back to the human. He was tapping his fingers on the concrete wall, his brow low and furious. I stepped towards the glass and leaned in closer, hearing the door behind me open I jumped back. "You may leave." The King said and I saw two guards enter the room, without hesitating I stepped out, my escorts directly behind me.

* * *

I stood in front of the mirror of the bathroom I shared with Ondre. It went from the floor to the ceiling and from wall to wall. The sinks jutted out from the wall and floated free of support, their faucets shooting up from the marble into the air about 20 inches and curved, stopping halfway back down. It was modern and simple while retaining the elegance of the rest of the room. Behind me was the bathtub, which jutted out of the marble several feet. The floor effortlessly rose into steps around it, cradling the white enamel basin. The shower head hung the center of the floor, with a drain directly underneath. It was not a room of privacy, but that was something I had relinquished long ago with Ondre.

The patch Ondre broke with my back was flawlessly repaired, I ran my fingers over it and couldn't feel a seam or crack. I sighed; this had been a long, interesting night. I came under the command of The King of Virginia, and I didn't quite like that. By my logic, that made me a potential target, Ondre as well. No matter how many security guards patrolled this house, I did not feel safe here. I felt like a prisoner, like a hostage. I sat down on the edge of the tub and leaned over to unbuckle my shoes.

I laid the leather boots on the floor and stretched out on the large slab of marble. My hand lay over my forehead, the other rested on my chest. I sighed again; my fingertips traced little circles along the leather, bumping into the silver stripes on the front. My fingers ran over something in the jacket, it was the wad of money The King gave me hours before. I fished it from my pocket and turned it over on my hand. Each of them bearing the face of Benjamin Franklin, I unrolled them and counted them.

"Should be 50." Ondre said, and I looked past the money to see him standing over me. "That was my first payment, at least." He took the money from my hand and it flew through his fingers. "Mmhmm, 50." He laid them down on my chest and moved my feet off the marble, sitting where they had been. I lifted my legs and laid them over his lap; he laughed but wrapped his hands around my calves. His thumbs, palms, and fingers all kneaded my muscles. He rubbed tiny circles under my knees and I let myself relax in his hands.

"How do you wear these pants? Can you even breathe?"

"I don't breathe with my legs." I said slowly. I could hear him laugh, and his hands moved down to my ankles. His thumb and forefinger pulling slowly at my heel.

"I must be rubbing off on you, you've gotten lippy." I sighed and adjusted myself on the large slab of rock.

"Tell me," I began. He looked up from my legs and to my eyes. "Could Jacqueline know that The King knows? Could she know that...that I know?" Ondre sat quiet, and I could feel him looking through my eyes, deep inside of me.

"Are you scared of her?" I was. I knew she was insane; I've yet to meet a vampire who wasn't. But Jacqueline had the gaze of a true predator. I could see the malice hidden behind the eye shadow and mascara. She was ruthless and let no one or thing stand in her way.

Now I stood in her path to the Crown. It was a position I had been shoved into, filling in for the drained and liquefied forces of the King of Virginia. Ondre stood beside me here, and that made it all worse.

"She has to know something. Adrian saw you and I outside. You even came inside her club! She has your face, and she has to know that you're the reason I haven't shown up for work. Plus! You had me leave the phone behind, why would I leave the phone behind for any other reason than she's been found out and I've been rescued." I didn't realize it until I was done, but I was yelling. Not from anger but from fear. Ondre had stopped massaging my legs and sat solemnly. He smiled, and leaned in close to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and spoke softly.

"She won't take me from you, Leon." There it was; the truth behind my fear. I shut my eyes and turned my head, unable to take it. "Leon, look at me." He cradled my face in his hands. "Look at me Leon." There was moisture behind my eyes, but I could hold it back no longer. I felt the drop pool under my eye, then run down my cheek. I opened my eyes to see Ondre's beautiful greens staring back at me.

"No tears, my Love. Nothing will take me from you. Not Jacqueline, not Jackson, not the Authority, not even my own foolishness. I'd walk into the sun before I'd spend another night without you." His thumbs pushed the bloody tears from my eyes and my hands hung at his wrists.

"You...You left me..." I choked, and I saw the pain streak across his face.

"Don't-" He mouthed, but it was too late. I couldn't stop.

"You left me. You left me Ondre. You left me!" I shot up from the bathtub and stood in front of him. I screamed. "YOU LEFT ME! I woke up to an empty bed when you should have been there, holding me in your arms..." I sunk to the floor, holding my hands in front of my face, failing to conceal the blood pouring from my eyes. I couldn't see him anymore, only feel him. He was behind me, arms crossed around my chest.

"I know...I know..." He whispered in my ear. He rocked me, slowly until I gave in and slumped back against his chest. "Shhh...I know...I know..." He kissed my neck, and pressed his face against the back of my head. "I know...I know..."


	10. L'histoire Meurtrière

I woke up beside Ondre, my head nestled cozily on his chest. I looked at his face, his eyes were shut and he looked every bit a corpse; sleeping still. He smelled like the earth, musky, rich, but airy and green. I took a few deep breaths on his chest before I pushed myself up off of him. I looked around the room, which was decorated in a lovely but over the top Victorian style. At the foot our massive, four-post bed was a small but heavily cushioned bench. It was the same deep crimson as the drapery hanging about the bed, along with the two large wing-backed chairs at wall opposite the closet.

I got up from the bed, seeing I was in the pants I had been wearing the day before. The jacket rested on one of the chairs, the shirt on the floor. I felt bad leaving it there, it was a lovely top. I snatched it from the floor and laid it on top of the jacket on my out of the arch that opened into the bathroom. The boots I had been wearing were there on the floor by the tub.

I walked over and plucked them from the floor, carrying them into the room that opened to the rest of the house. I laid them down by the door and began to unbutton my pants walking back into the bathroom. The zipper clicked along with ease and I pushed them down at my hips, sliding them over my underwear, and past my knees. I pulled my legs out, nearly tipping over I steadied myself on the tub and sat.

There was a slit in the enamel at far end of the tub where the water poured out. The water arched out and struck the cauldron in the center. It filled with an unexpected speed, or perhaps I was too lost in my thoughts to notice the time passing. The water was warm, steam began to swirl up to the high ceiling and I took off my last bit of clothing and slid in. It came up over my mouth and bobbed between my lips and nose. Within seconds I could see tiny spirals of blood undulate in the water.

I sat up in the tub and touched my face instinctively and could see diluted blood slide down my fingertips. It was my tears. The tears I had cried when confronted with my worst fear early last morning. I had cried before, I cried for months when Ondre first left. This was different, I had never let him see me cry, I never had a reason to cry with him. I cried with him this time.

In his own way he had owned up to what he did. To him, and myself, what he did to me was irredeemable, but I had already forgiven him. He was all I wanted out of life, and after half a century I finally had him back. Now, I would not go on without him. If I had awoken this morning without him, I'd have staked myself on the bedpost.

I laughed, imagining Miss Pageant Perfect Annabelle's face seeing my remnants splattered all over The King's walls. I could smell him now, without opening my eyes I knew he was behind me. I lay silent, allowing him a moment to look me over. Then I felt his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs resting on my collarbones, finger lying over my chest. His scent was stronger, and I felt his lips press lightly into the top of my head.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

"Well enough." I said quietly, opening my eyes. His chest was bare, and I assumed the rest of him was as well; his favorite way to sleep. He smiled, and I felt his thumbs slip around my shoulder and work their way into my trapezius. I stared at him and he stared back, each of us enjoying the silence.

"Room for another?" He suggested with a smile. I reached up and kissed his chin.

"Come on in." I said and slid forward slightly. He stood and climbed in, a leg on either side of me, his chest against my back. His hands wrapped around my arms, and glided down to my wrists, then back up. I felt his lips touch the side of my neck, just below my ear. I sighed, and sunk down deeper into the water.

* * *

Time had begun to slip away from us, the way it only does to immortals. I was standing in the mirror, a large plush white towel wrapped around my waist when I heard a knocking at the door. "Got it." I said, making sure I was covered before I walked out of the bathroom.

I answered the door to see Annabelle, and four vampire security behind her. They had boxes in their arms, massive tree-trunk sized boxes.

"Good Evening Leon, Ondre," she called a bit louder.

"Annabelle." He said from the bathroom, walking towards us.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news Gentlemen, but The King has requested you two remain here for the duration of the night." This came as less of a shock than could be expected; I doubted he was anywhere but the dungeon.

"Not to worry though," She turned to her side and held out her arms. "I come bearing gifts." She stepped into the room, sashaying past me, her guards pushing their way through. "Here I have some more TruBlood." She opened one of the boxes. She grabbed a case and walked towards the wall at the back of the room. She pressed her hand into the wall and with a popping sound, the wall split to reveal a large cabinet with a microwave built into the wall.

"Has that been there the whole time?" I asked in disbelief. Annabelle snorted a laugh, and opened the cabinet, which was full of synthetic blood.

"Didn't I tell you about it?" I shook my head and she apologized. "Well, now you've got plenty." She stepped towards me and put a hand on my upper arm. "Here I have some more clothes, take what you want, I ordered them for you two. Mostly you, my little fashion forward vampire. Here are some shoes." She pointed to another box being set on the floor. "And here...Goodness, what is in this one?" She sighed and walked towards the box. "I got a little carried away, forgive me." Her smile was tinged with embarrassment as she popped open the top.

"Oh!" I laughed, then Ondre laughed at me and I knew I should have held it in. "Here are the accessories." She reached in a pulled out a long, scarlet, silken scarf. "Do you mind?" She said throwing it around my neck, looping it about my collar. "You'll tell me which shoes you like best, won't you?"

"Of course." I nodded and smiled. I liked Annabelle, probably because she kept giving me things. But she was a nice enough vampire, and I could see myself becoming closer to her. Just then her eyes jerked towards her right ear, a second later she snapped backed towards us.

"I'm so sorry, I must get going. Please, if you need anything-"

"-Just call." I interrupted, she was stunned a moment, but then grinned and nodded, then turned out, the security behind her. The doors shut directly after them.

"Oh, Leon." Ondre sighed, his hand gripped the top of my head; he rustled my hair and laughed.

"What?"

"Annabelle loves you."

"She's alright." I said quietly, walking towards the cabinet she revealed. I grabbed a bottle and popped off the cap, setting it in the microwave which started automatically on a pre-programmed timer. "Interesting..." I looked over the cabinet, a little more than annoyed at my prior ignorance. Ondre snickered, his head peering into the box Annabelle said contained shoes.

"Come have a look, Barbie." The last word rolled off his tongue, clearly taking pleasure from something. He stood up and walked into the bedroom, stretching his arms.

I stood against the cabinet, looking at the box. I knew what was in it, I knew exactly what the box contained. I took a breath and leaned down, slowly lifting the lid.

I had never seen so many shoes; so many amazing shoes. There were colors, shapes, lines. Metalwork, gems, sea shells, embroidery. Bone, lava rock, glass, wood. Scales, fur, glitter, sequins, feathers. They were big, they were my size. I loved them; every pair I saw, and I didn't care one fucking bit.

* * *

"Well, I think I'm a cross dresser." I said, looking at myself in the mirror. Ondre burst out laughing from behind me; he was sitting on the marble cradle of the tub wearing a pair of dark blue boot-cut jeans. I had found a pair of skin-hugging charcoal jeans. They fit me beautifully, and went with my draconic shoes perfectly.

A row of spikes ran from the top of the toes and continued along the length of the shoe, down the heel which became the beast's tail. Its wings were tucked beneath it, coming together in front of the tail. It was rough, looking rocky and armored. Each scale touched with crimson.

"Damn." Ondre said slowly.

"What." I spun about.

"I think you are too." I shook my head, seeing a lovely smile race across his face. " Sárkány az enyém." I trembled beneath his tantalizing accent, and he lashed his tongue across his teeth. I had to shut my eyes and look away, my pants growing uncomfortable.

My feet hung off the sky-high bed, still dragon clad. My hand was slipped under my waist band, the other holding on to a warm but nearly empty bottle of TruBlood. This was insanity. I hated being locked up in the King's mansion. Only Ondre's presence made it bearable, and he too began to look uneasy. I was then reminded of the man I saw in the dungeon and I rolled over to face Ondre.

"So, that man you found. Did he actually have three gallons of blood?" Ondre turned to face me, he was sitting in one of the chairs, his legs crossed.

"He did. And two other empty jugs."

"What about his equipment?"

"He had silver, of course. Along with needles, catheters, tubing coated with blood. You know." He let out a breath and tilted his head. "The works...Nothing pinning him to Jacqueline though, which was upsetting."

"Nothing?" He shook his head, and I began to feel nervous. His lips split in a smile.

"Don't be afraid of her, she's nothing. I've got centuries on her." He stood up and walked to the bed, sitting down beside me, laying his hand on my head. He was right.

"Je suis à trois cent quarante-six ans!" She once spat at a girl before knocking her to the ground. Jacqueline was 346 years old. Ondre was much older, being turned in 1312 made him 699, with a birthday soon. I was ancient by human standards, but to other vampires I was a child at less than 100.

"I bet you could kill her...I'd like to see that, actually." I trailed off.

"There's the Leon I remember. What do you want to see me do to her?" I could feel the tension in his fingers and was more than tempted to give in. But I shook him off.

"Who's blood were you wearing the other night?"

"A few of his friends. They were passing a needle, can you believe it? Injecting themselves with the blood; I had little choice." I sighed a laugh, speaking volumes in agreement. "It's a hideous thing, they were massive, I've never seen human muscles so tone. They shrieked after I ripped one's arm off. The other's head came off in a fountain of blood, and as I held the last one to the ground, I drank his blood. I drained him to death's door before I came up. After that it was just a matter of tossing him in the car and coming home." He described a truly hideous sight, but I had no trouble picturing it with crystal clarity.

"How do you know the one you left alive was the orchestrator?"

"I didn't, just got lucky." He kicked back and lay on the bed beside me. "Let's keep that between us, huh Love?" He kissed my forehead and draped his arm over my chest. "You look really good in those shoes. But ugh, don't they hurt?"

I laughed a bit, and lifted my foot above the bed. "They are fabulous shoes. If we ever get to leave, I'll be walking out in them." We shared a moment of laughter, but then became silent, myself feeling unsteady. "We will be getting out of there...Right?" Ondre was quiet, but attentive.

"With luck." Was all he said, and kissed me on my shoulder.

He was breathing slowly, his stomach expanding and deflating with each breath. My head was resting on his muscled breast. I traced little circles in the hair on his chest with my fingertips, his combing tracks in my scalp. They were soft and short, like the hair on his legs. He kept his body clean and well-manicured, regardless of the blood splattered across it.

The room was silent beyond our synchronized breathing. The robust, earthy smell of his flesh filled my lungs with each breath. It was all so hypnotic, my mind thickly clouded by his scent. With my next breath a thousand moments passed before my eyes.

It was a cold, wet night on the streets of New England. It was wartime, and the States had shipped off all her men. Her women rose up and ushered in the greatest industrialized war machine this side of the Atlantic. The air was thick with fog, and I could smell smoke and salt. Wind blew up from the harbor with ferocity, snaking through the alleys. There was a woman ahead of me, her coat down past her knees. Her boots clicked along the slippery ground at a rapid pace. She was on to me.

But it was no matter. She turned down an alley and her life was over. I heard Ondre wrap his fingers around her mouth and pin her to the wall. As I came around he was drinking from her neck. He looked up at me, smiling as blood poured out of his mouth and dribbled to the pavement. He stepped away, holding her mouth shut and I pounced on her.

Now it was warm, so warm it reminded me of daylight. The sun had just set over the great plains, and Ondre and I stood at in the doorway of a barn. He held me at the waist, his hand tucked in trousers tickling my hips. We teased and flirted, rubbing against each other as we watched the house across the way. It was large with a porch going around the entire base, and light shone out through the windows. I could see silhouettes moving about, one was large, the father. One was petite, the mother, there were two that seemed indistinguishable, twins, and one we could not see, only hear its cries across the field.

"Hungry?" He said, his fangs gliding around my ear.

"Starving." I whispered in his.

This time I could feel him, holding me against him and a wall. Blood filled the air and covered our mouths. We kissed, our lips forming around each other's. Our bodies banged together, and he lifted me at the hips. His hands slid up my stomach smearing blood on the contours of my abdomen. It was sticky and warm, and set my flesh on fire. I threw my leg around Ondre and pulled his pelvis into me. "Fuck me in the blood..." I moaned through blood drenched fangs.

I felt the sun on my flesh, it burnt like hell and smoke began to rise up from my sizzling skin.

"ARE YOU MAD?" Ondre yelled and slammed the door shut, he had his hands around my neck. "Are you? You'd have been reduced to ash, before my fucking eyes!" I laughed, and fell against him.

"That was marvelous." I said, feeling my burnt skin rubbing against his chest. "Almost like living again..." He was speechless, until I heard his voice. It pushed through the swirl of memories and snapped my focus back to the chest I was resting on.

"Mon cher? Ça va?" His eyes were wide and his breathing had stopped.

"Ouias, mon cher. Ça va. N'arrête pas, s'il te plait..." I touched his chin and laid my head down below his collar. He started breathing again, and we synched soon after. His fingers pushing and pulling the skin at the base of skull.

"Je t'aime." He whispered. I felt warmth surge into my heart and out through every limb, and I laughed.

"Ta Francais est épouvantable." I kissed his chest as it reverberated in laughter.


	11. Birth of a Dragon

Ondre was awake, but immobile. The antique wooden wall clock said it was just after seven in the afternoon, the sun had set a few minutes ago and vampires all over the east coast were climbing out of tombs and caskets. I sat up, leaning over my lover. His eyes were open and as I looked into them, they seemed to be looking through me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, feeling concern surge through my body. He groaned, and held his hand over his eyes, turning his head away.

"So...Fucking...Hungry..." He grumbled, seeming to rub his eyes. I hadn't thought about it, but according to him, his last meal was the murderer-addict two nights ago. I felt fine, having gone months without human blood my body, I had adapted to it, and while I was hungry I could manage. I knew what he'd say to a TruBlood, and Annabelle had yet to come get us. I watched him, almost like he was paralyzed, barely breathing.

"Do you want to...drink from me?" At this he looked through his fingers. "If you wanted..." I climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. Ondre's hands clasped around my hips, and gave them a squeeze.

"If I wanted?" He leaned forward, moving in for my neck.

"If you want..." I pressed myself into his stomach and put my arms behind his head. Our lips passed in front of each other, we hissed and bumped against one another. His lips pressed into the side of my neck, his tongue sliding up to my jaw. Our lips met, and our tongues raced out to meet. We kissed, and he grabbed me under my arm.

"I'd love to..." He said, kissing me again before slamming me to the bed. He held me down with his barbarian hand and ripped apart my pants with the other. He snarled at me, staring down at me with viciously alluring eyes, and kissed the inside of my hip. His fingers gripped me like a vice as his lips parted and his tongue slid over my thigh.

He held me down, and no amount of struggle would free me, but I loved it. I was his prey, his most favored meal. He would impale me, bleed me, and drink me. He was savage in his lust for blood and flesh and I had become the conduit for satisfaction of both.

I gripped a fistful of his thick black hair and tried to pull, only to feel his hand grab both of mine and pin them to the bed in a blur of force. I shrieked with excitement as I felt the tip of his fangs touch my inner thigh. He was after my femoral artery; he said my blood tasted sweetest when running through it. He flicked his eyes towards me and thrust his teeth into my skin.

His lips formed a perfect seal around my leg and he began to swallow mouthfuls of my blood. I hissed and whined with every movement of his teeth, he hit it perfectly and moved his hand from my hip to my pubis. He gripped me with his hand, wrapping around the stone-hard shaft he slid from base to tip. He went slowly, but that made no matter. My hips bucked after a few seconds and I wailed in ecstasy, feeling spurts of hot, thick, bloody seed spill out on to my chest and stomach.

Ondre loosened his grip on my hands and I could feel him retracting his fangs. He kept his mouth over the wounds until they sealed and then he sat up, his eyes racing over my blood-stained. "Someone had fun..." He breathed and leaned in, kissing me with crimson lips.

* * *

It was well past 9pm when Ondre and I heard a knock at our door. We had fed, fucked, bathed, and dressed, more or less. I was sitting in the front room, sifting through the boxes Annabelle left the night before when I heard her fast, rapid knocking. "Come in." I said lightly, climbing out of the floor.

Annabelle stood in the door way as they opened, and stepped in. She looked lovely; her hair let down it hung below her shoulders and was a beautiful chocolate brown. She wore a long, tight and revealing silky red dress. Across her right wrist was glittering diamond and platinum bracelet. "Good Evening." She dipped her head to me, and Ondre walked out of the bathroom and stood behind me.

"Hello, Annabelle." He said.

"Good Evening." I followed.

"I do apologize for last night's situation, as does the King." We assured her everything was fine, and after a moment she focused in on Ondre. "The King would like to see you, Ondre. He's in his office, waiting." Ondre disappeared, and showed back up, throwing on a jacket.

"Au revoir, mon cher." He kissed me as he walked by and left the room.

"So, I see you've been digging." She stepped towards the boxes. "Did you try on any shoes?"

"Oh, yes! Did you see the dragons?" Her face perked up with excitement.

"I knew you'd like those. Where are they?" I ran into the bedroom and ran back, the shoes on my feet. "Those really are incredible shoes, and you wear them so well."

"Merci." I walked up beside her as she rummaged through the box of clothes.

"Oh, put this on!" She handed me a black leather vest detailed with gunmetal spikes. I took it from her and threw it on. "Very vampire-biker." I snorted, and took the vest off.

"How about something under the vest...Maybe one sleeve?" Annabelle straightened herself out and looked at me with excited eyes.

"You read my mind." She said and sped off into the bedroom. I heard the closet doors thrown open in the same second.

* * *

Annabelle was in the closet, moving things around, making room for all of the new pieces. I was in front of the bed, sitting on the large plush bench at its foot. I was lacing up the shining black boots Annabelle had found when she stepped out of the closet.

"Here we are." She said, laying a dark grey shirt in my lap. It was covered in a black pattern of overlapping circles. "Put it on." She stepped back and crossed her arms, waiting for me to do as she said. I stretched out and put the shirt over my head, slipping my arms through the sleeves. Annabelle pulled it down over my abdomen and then stepped back again. "Hmm..." She sighed, and reached out, grabbing the left sleeve of the shirt and tearing it off.

"Perfect." She snapped and grabbed the vest she found earlier. I sat there, shirt torn asunder and put on the vest, then stood and walked to the bathroom.

"Wow." I said, looking at myself. Annabelle knew clothes, I looked fabulous.

"Now, how do you feel about cutting your hair?" She was standing beside me, her fingers pulling at my hair. "Not to offend, but it is a bit dated..." She stepped around me, examining it from all sides. I suppose she was right, it was looking a bit ragged.

"Do we have time?" She only smiled and ran out of the room, returning a moment later with a large bag over her shoulder and a stool under her arm.

"Of course we have time." She laid the bag on the bathroom floor and propped the stool up. "Sit." She padded the cushion, and after a moment of apprehension, I sat.

* * *

Annabelle had studied fashion design and style since her years as a human. She said she was a young southern woman before the Civil War, living on a plantation home in Virginia. She told me little more about her history and the conversation shifted towards me.

"So when were you made?" She asked, taking a razor to my hair.

"1915."

"Where?" She continued working though my hair.

"By the side of the road outside of Hudson County. In New York."

"Do you keep in touch in with your maker?"

"No, after about a year together he released me and we parted ways."

"And you haven't seen him since?"

"No." I said quietly. It didn't hurt me; I'd made peace with my status outside of the cycle of life long ago.

"My maker was an English vampire named Samuel. He courted me, and I fell in love. He turned me when I was just younger than 30, and we spent some time together. But he met the true death and left me behind."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I said, not moving. Her fingers piercing my scalp, holding my head immobile.

"Thank you, but it's fine. That was a long, long time ago." She trailed off and got quiet for a moment. "I'm thinking maybe an inch on top, you?"

"Maybe a bit longer?" I said, watching masses of golden-brown hair fall to the marble floor.

"Alright." She said and stepped to my side.

"Are you going to do all of it with the razor?"

"I was, would you like me to stop?" She held her hands down by her sides now.

"Oh no, just curious. I like it so far." She exhaled with relief and started up again. She chopped and slashed, cutting and nicking bits of hair from my scalp for a few minutes, leaving the top of the head alone. She then moved to the top, cleaving the hair off, leaving a much shorter mass. A few minutes later she worked it into a modern, clean, asymmetric fringe. The longest bit of hair hung down over my left eye. It was jagged all over and air moved through it with ease.

"Wow." I said, turning my head.

"Do you like it?" She said watching me.

"I love it. Ondre's going to love it."

"You be sure to tell me." She winked and turned away to clean her tools.

* * *

"Remember, just a bit." She said and laid a tub of hair paste into my hand. I hated having products put into my hair. If it wouldn't sit that way, I didn't force it, and saw no reason to. But, I took it and slipped it into the inside pocket of the vest. I'd dispose of it some other time, when she was out of sight. She did, in essence, give me a makeover. I'd have never gone for something so bold.

She led me out of the room, saying others would be going in behind us to clean it up. We walked down the grand hallway and came to a series of stairs.

"If I may, where are we going?"

"To meet a man with a bag of rocks." She smiled and continued down the stairs.

* * *

This man was incredibly old. I dared not touch him for fear of killing him. He bowed as we approached him, as much as he could anyway.

"Leon, this is Master Carter, world-class jewelry designer. He's been working for the Crown of Virginia for decades now. It's lovely to see you again." Annabelle said.

"Annabelle, my Dear." She stepped forward and took his hand, taking a kiss on each cheek. "I see you're wearing my bracelet."

"Yes, it's lovely. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome my Dear. Are you the one I'm to treat with my velvet bag?" He looked up to me and touched his suitcase.

"I suppose I am. Good evening Master Carter, my name is Leon, and it's lovely to meet you." I was careful, taking his hand, and the same kisses he gave Annabelle. He wheezed something of a laugh.

"I don't know which one of you is prettier." He wheezed again, longer this time. We joined in, this little man was funny, and apparently had a bag full of gems with my name all over them. What wasn't to like?

We took a seat at the large wooden table and the man laid his bag on the slab of polished redwood. He opened it up revealing a tiered construct, each level glittering with gold of different colors and shades, platinum, and polished stone. There were rings on another level, strands of chain and tiny bricks of metals. In the bottom of the bag was a box, with another latch on it. He removed it from the suitcase and laid it down. He took the key from his around his neck and opened it up.

There was a tiny velvet-covered grid holding stones of all different cuts and colors separate from the rest. He removed four of these grids, laying them out in order, and then stood.

"So, does anything catch your eye?" He asked me.

I was literally speechless. I loved shiny thing; they were one of my true weaknesses. The King knew how to make friends, that was for certain.

Annabelle had a smug smile on her face; she must have grown used to this kind of treatment. The man put the key back around his neck and I began to ponder my options. I thought of the dragon scale shoes Annabelle gave me, and started to inspect the gems. I wanted something dark, but beautiful, and preferably big.

"Annabelle, could you do something for me? I'm flirting with an idea." I said, my eyes moving from stone to stone.

"Yes?"

"Those dragon shoes we put away, could you go get them for me?" She was quiet for a time, but split her mouth in a sharp smile and nodded her head. She ran from the room at vampire speed leaving me and the jeweler.

"What are you thinking of?" He asked nearly silent.

"Something draconic...Could you do that?" I turned my head to see him taking a pad and pencil from a pocket in his bag.

"I can do anything with these metals." His voice cracking with the cadence of extreme age.

"Here we are." Annabelle said over my shoulder, holding out the shoes for me to take.

"Thank you!" I stood and took the shoes from her, giving her a slight embrace and moved over to the other side of Master Carter. "I want something to go with these." I laid them on the table.

"Oh my..." He groaned, and plucked one from the table as I moved back to my seat. "These are lovely, you wear them?" He asked me, turning the large shoe over in his hand. I nodded and continued my search for a gemstone. "Here," He set the shoe down on the table and pointed his pencil at a stone. It was a black stone that held fire like a prism. There were bursts and flashes of gold and red under the glossy surface.

"It's opal, from Ethiopia." Master Carter said. "Looks like fire doesn't it?" I gripped it between my first finger and thumb and took it from its velvety home. It was heavy, and cubical, its edges softened to blunt curves. "And this one." He pointed to another stone. It was black, like the other, but this one was dotted by light little grey marks. "That's snowflake obsidian, if you wanted something with a bit more contrast..."

They were both beautiful, but they were silent to me, and I had to let them be. Master Carter let out what sounded like a laugh. "What is your sign?"

"My sign?"

"When were you born? When was it?"

"The middle of July, why?" Master Carter nodded his head, or, dipped it, and plucked a stone from the velvet case. "Tell me what you feel." He held out his hand, the gem wrapped in his nobby fingers. I held my hand out and felt a smooth rock land in it. It was light, not just in weight, but I could feel the energy in it. I must have smiled, because Master Carter nodded and began to sketch on his pad. I looked at the stone. It was beautiful; a pale, milky white with faint rose ribbons dancing through it.

"This is moonstone." I said. Master Carter grunted and I held the stone up to the light. It trickled down through the rock and glittered in my eyes. "It's magnificent, but could you make a dragon with this?" He then laid the pencil down and picked up a golden piece of metal, laying it over the stone I held. "Oh my..." I said without realizing it.

"We have our dragon..." He said, and I heard Annabelle clap her hands together.

* * *

It wasn't long before I found myself back inside that damned, eclectic-style prison cell. As the other nights before, I met Ondre in the room; he was laid across the bed, looking at his shining golden timepiece.

"You're back early. What did Jackson need you for?"

"Jackson? You're on a first name basis?" He asked, turning over facing me. I shrugged him off and sat down beside him.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Oh, right. Just loose ends he needed tying up."

"Hmm." I touched his head, waiting for him to take notice. After a moment of staring he shot up from the bed and stood in front of me.

"You cut your hair?!"

"Of course I cut my hair, it was looking ragged." I touched it and moved it in my fingers, pulling it up into spikes. Ondre made a sound, and narrowed his eyes at me.

"It's very...modern." He said, snorting a laugh in my face. I scoffed, and shoved him away, but he barely moved. He was nearly seven times my age, I would never best him. He fell to his knees and gripped me at my thighs.

"It's modern?"

"Very."

"Asshole." I shook my head and lay back on the bed.

"I'm only teasing, you're quite sexy in that ripped shirt."

"And my hair?"

"Just fine." He climbed on the bed, his limbs on either side of my body. I reached up, and pulled his face to mine, my tongue invading his mouth.


	12. The End of an Immortal

"Ondre, it happens tonight." Jackson said, standing in front of a bookshelf. He turned around, wearing a quiet fury beneath his eyes.

"Tonight?"

"Yes, Goddamnit!" He shouted, slamming his fist through the table in front of him. Ondre ducked his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Kill her, do it quick and quietly. No witnesses, no mess, no loose ends." This would be Jacqueline's last night on Earth, Ondre would see to it. After that, I honestly didn't know; but I knew not to ask.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ondre responded.

"These are yours, they should help in the assault. Annabelle, bring them in." He called out, and Annabelle stepped through the doors behind us. She held a large wooden case in both hands. The King motioned to her and she popped it open, revealing three long, thin pointed wooden stakes.

"They're older than you, and far older than me. Use them, or I will."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Take Leon with you, he can get you inside."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ondre bowed before him, and grabbed me by the arm. I did as he did, and he pulled me from the room, throwing the wooden box beneath his arm. We walked out of his house and were met by a two door, black sports car. A man climbed out and left the door open, throwing the keys at Ondre. "Get in." He said to me and climbed in.

* * *

"Are we...Are we really going to kill Jacqueline?"

"We are."

"Can we do that?"

"We have our orders."

"No, but can it be done?"

"Of course we can kill her; she'll be dead before dawn." Ondre's confidence was inspiring, but I couldn't totally believe him. He grabbed my hand and held it tight. "Don't worry. I'll be washing her off of you before you know it." He turned to me and smiled. I couldn't help myself, and smiled back.

After a few moments of driving, Ondre and I came to the road leading to Jacqueline's club. It was quiet, too quiet for her club.

"I've got a bad feeling..." I whispered. Ondre turned down the road, and fell silent. We pulled up to the front to see it fully lit, and music pumping through the walls. There were no cars, no sign of life other than the inside of the building.

"As do I." He said and shut off the car. We sat in the luxurious vehicle and stared at the flashing neon lights of the club. "Come on, I'm not leaving you alone here." Ondre grabbed the wooden box and popped it open, tucking a stake into the inside pocket of his trench coat. He opened the door, and began to step out. "Come on." He nodded his head towards the club and climbed out, I followed behind him.

He stood in front of the hood of the car and waited on me. "I can't smell a thing."

"Neither can I."

"No sweat, no alcohol, no smoke."

"Not a damn thing." I said, feeling fear creep up my spine. Nothing about this was right; Jackson sending just the two of us after her, and being met at her doors with an empty club. He put his arms around me and held my face to look into his eyes.

"I want you to go to the door and try to get in. But you need to understand something. If I tell you to run, you run north and don't stop until dawn. Do you understand me?" I nodded, or tried. "Do you understand me!?" He said louder.

"Yes. I understand." My voice quivered.

"I won't lose you. Not again."

"You won't." I said and fell into his chest. He kissed my forehead.

"Go." He tipped his head towards the club, and leaned against the car as I walked away. A chill ran over my arms and I began for the door, the music thumping through the walls. I touched the door, and it swung open revealing a wholly empty interior. Strobe lights fired color in all directions, the speakers thumping with a heavy, dark, synthetic beat. Ondre blew past me and shot off into the club, I followed directly behind him.

"It's fucking empty!" He yelled, kicking a bar stool across the room, embedding it in the wall.

"Do you think-"

"We need to get back to the King."

"Wait!" I stood in the doorway.

"What?"

"Who's to say that she's not making her strike now? If she's not here, she has to be somewhere. Leaving her club like this is not like her. What if this was just to-To slow us down? Or keep us away from the King long enough for her to kill him?" Ondre looked at me, like he had yet to put that together. "Could she usurp the throne? That place is crawling with vampire security."

"They're all young, most less than a year old; fragile, weak little things."

"Is it safe to go back?"

"Not if Jacqueline has begun her assault, much less...succeeded."

"So...What do we do?"

"I...I don't know..." Ondre sat against the bar; I could see his mind racing with panic. I'd never seen him like this, he was breathing fast, and shallow. His leg began to twitch and he was biting his lip, his eyes wide with fear. "We're leaving. We need to tell the King what we saw...If there's even a King anymore." Ondre shot past me, running out of the door and jumping into the car. I heard it start when I felt the silver hit my neck.

"Thought you could turn on me?" Jacqueline's voice washed me in hysteria and I fell powerless to the chain she held around my flesh. It burnt and I could feel it cutting and searing my skin, digging deeper with every second. The door behind me shut, Adrian and two other vampires flying out into the night. "Your stupid brutish boyfriend's going to get staked, how's that feel you fucking traitor!?" She yelled and I heard Ondre screaming, fighting with the other vampires.

"LEON!" He shouted, and I heard a body crash against the car. I tried to move, but was utterly powerless under the paralyzing grasp of silver.

"I want you to scream for me you little shit!" I felt a stab of silver in my back. "New shoes, you like?" She shoved me to the ground, the chain held in her gloved hands. "I thought of you as soon as I saw them." She dug her heel in deeper, I felt it puncture my back, and I shrieked.

"LEON!" Ondre called again, followed by silence. Jacqueline shot a laugh towards the ceiling.

"How's it feel knowing you led him to his death? You killed him, the only man you ever loved. Now he's all over my parking lot." She laughed, and I gave up. The silver melting my skin I sunk into the cold floor, blood streaking down my face.

* * *

I'd only seen Jacqueline's dungeon from in front of its cold, lifeless doors. This time, I was beyond them, silver chain wrapped around my wrists, my neck, and my ankles, she went as far as to lay a chain over my abdomen. I was deep underneath the club; so far I could barely hear the music that filled the upper layers. Even wrapped in silver, I felt nothing. I stopped feeling the moment Ondre fell silent.

All I could hear was his voice screaming out my name, then the deafening silence. I could feel the blood flowing from my eyes, and wept like I had never before. I could see the stringy, horrific mess Ondre had turned into. Strewn over the pavement, across the car, on the outer walls of the club. My lover, my mate, decimated. Thrown to the wolves by the man he was serving; staked in the heart trying to save my worthless hide.

I had no idea how long I had been chained and left to my sorrows. Jacqueline dragged me to her prison herself, mocking my loss the whole way. "Stupid, insignificant little shit!" She spat. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." She wrapped the chains around my body with a sick satisfaction written all over her face. She grabbed my chin and shoved her mouth onto mine. After a moment she pulled away. "You taste like misery." She snorted a laugh and walked out of the concrete, lightless room.

It had been hours since she chained me when she reappeared. "Here." She threw the stake Ondre slipped into his pocket at my feet. "Thought you'd like it." She cackled another horrible laugh and I saw it was covered in blood, from tip to hilt. I could smell him on it, his wondrous earthy scent. I would never smell it again, never press my face into his neck and just breathe him in. I heard Jacqueline's voice, spiting venomous French in my direction, but I did not listen. I stared at the bloodied stake and continued to cry.

* * *

Daylight had come and gone, I knew from the blood running down my neck from my ears. No one came to me; no one would come to rescue me. The King would know something by now, if he was still alive. But he wouldn't care, not for me, not for Ondre, only for himself. I enjoyed the sight of him splattered all over his incredible mansion, he sent us here to our deaths.

The door connecting the club to my level of hell was opened, casting the first light I'd seen in hours over my face. I could hear Jacqueline's malicious footsteps, her heels clicking along the concrete. She walked down the steps, her legs wrapped in stockings under a much too short skirt. "You look like shit." She laid her hand over the railing, staring down at me.

"F-Fuck yo-you…" My words were slow to come by, and hard to say, each movement forcing the silver deeper into my flesh. She snorted and tossed her head back.

"Such a shame. You had incredible promise, as my patsy, of course." She drew her hand back and pushed it through her hair. "But now...Well, look at yourself." Her gaze narrowed, and I could feel her eyes tunneling through my smoking skin. "LOOK AT YOURSELF!" She was in front of me within a second, holding a mirror up to my face. I was covered in blood; my hair a wreck, streaked with blood and dirt. Her hand shot around my neck and shoved me against the wall. Her fangs drawn as she tightened her grip.

"You have no idea how much fun I'm going to have torturing you. I was thinking first I'd fuck you with a silver rod. How's that sound?" Her face was twisted with malicious satisfaction. "String you up on meat hooks and tear off your skin. Inch. By. In-" I spat in her face, throwing a clotted mess of blood in her eye.

She exploded in fury, hissing and slinging me across the room, catching me before I could fall and slamming me into the ground. There was less silver around me, the chain she laid across my neck and waist was gone, my hands remained bound by the hand cuffs. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" She screamed and threw me against the wall, the concrete behind me cracking and crumbling at the impact. "-RIP YOUR HEART OUT!" She smashed my face into the wall and grabbed my right arm, twisting it behind me until I heard it snap.

I screamed, writing under her monstrous grasp. Her fingers wrapped around my other arm and twisted it above my head. "Scream again." She pushed it further, my muscles tore and ripped, my bones cracking. "FUCKING SCREAM!" She shoved it all the way around, until I felt it too shatter. She flipped me over, facing her, my arms dangling at my sides, the silver cuffs broken. From a pocket in her shirt she pulled out a long silver blade and jammed it into my chest. Blood poured out and shot onto her clothes. "Scream..." She drew the word out, twisting and shoving the blade deeper.

I broke and shouted, crying, pleading with her to stop.

"There, that wasn't so-" She pulled the knife out and jammed it into my thigh. "-hard, now was it?" She stabbed my leg over and over, slicing and cutting away chunks of my flesh. I could not move, I had bleed away all my strength in the hours before. Now, with my limbs shattered, and a silver blade carving my legs I waited for her fury to take over.

I would die here tonight, within moments. Her psychopathic rage would drive a stake through my heart before she knew what she was doing. She shoved the blade into my gut twice; my flesh peeling away from my abdomen. I screamed again as the blade cut my side, sliding between ribs where it stopped my breathing. This was it. My final moments spent with a silver dagger burrowing its way into my lungs.

It slid out and she pressed it against my chest, right over my heart. "Au revoir..." She mouthed and drew the blade back. I took what would be my final breathe, feeling my blood pooling my lungs. She screamed, hissing and I could smell Ondre again. I could feel him against my face. I could hear his voice calling my name. I had faced the true death, and was now in the arms of my savior.

I was shaken, and I saw him.

Ondre was in front of me, covered in the stringy, bloody mess that was once Jacqueline.

"Leon? Leon! Leon, can you hear me?!" He shouted, holding my face in his hands.

"O-Ondre..." I sighed. "You-You died..."

"No, my Love. No. Not without you." I felt the silver around my ankles fall off of my flesh and saw wispy smoke billow up from his hands. "Stay with me." He threw me over his shoulder and took off faster than I'd ever seen the world move by. I was on the dance floor I had worked so many nights before; the Kings armor-clad guards surrounding me.

There was a warm body beside me, a human. "Drink, Leon. You need to drink." I refused, holding my mouth shut. "DRINK!" He yelled, and I could feel the humans arm in front of my face. I tried to move, but couldn't. I was at death's door.

Ondre grabbed the human's arm and punctured it with his fangs, draining a mouthful of her blood. Then shoving her away he leaned over me and kissed me, spitting the blood down my throat. I tried to fight it, but it was so sweet. Real blood was nothing that could be synthesized; I was a fool to give it up. I drank all he had and felt my body begin to right itself but I needed more.

"More...Please..." I begged. The human shot up and held her arm over my face. I buried myself in her forearm, drinking her blood. I could hear her scream, but I could not stop. Only Ondre's hand on my chest forced me down, and she scampered away.

The world around me faded away until all I could hear was Ondre's voice, and his hand stroking my cheek. "Rest, my Love. Rest." He whispered. "Sleep. I'll be with you shortly." His lips touched my face and I slipped away into the dark, feeling my arms snapping and cracking at the blood I drank.

"We've got to get him underground, NOW!" Was the last thing I heard.


	13. A Monarch Making Amends

The interior of the coffin was plush, rich, red velvet. I pressed my hand against the underside of the lid and pushed it open.

"Hello." I heard Ondre's voice. The room beyond the casket was bare; white walls with bright, fluorescent lighting.

"Where are we?"

"Beneath the Executive Mansion, consider it a basement."

"A basement? Interesting." I said, slowly rising out of the fiberglass coffin. Ondre was beside me, holding out his hand. He smiled, looking at me with joy in his eyes. I took his hand, he pulled up and I fell into his muscular chest. "I thought I had lost you..." I could barely speak the words, and I put my arms around his waist. I felt the tear roll down my cheek before I could hold it back.

"Come now." Ondre took my head in his hands and turned it up to face him. "No need for those." His thumbs swept under my eyes, wiping away the drops of blood. I could feel the muscles of my face trembling and twitching with sorrow. "I killed her lackeys, just like I killed her. And I'll kill anyone who would take you from me." He kissed my forehead and threw his arms around me. "Let's go up, Annabelle's been worried sick."

"Oh my..." I sighed as he pulled me towards the door.

* * *

Annabelle ran at me, wrapping me in her long, lean arms.

"I was so frightened!" She squeezed me and rocked from side to side. "I'm so happy to see you're alive and well." She pulled away from me, only to embrace me again, squeezing tighter than before.

"It's good to see you too Annabelle." I replied, and held her for a moment. We parted, and she took my hand. I cast a look to Ondre, who wore a smirk across his face. The doors at the end of the great hall opened and Jackson Smith came through, alone. It was interesting to see the massive house without the constant presence of his security.

"Mr. Karston, how are you?" He stepped towards me, but did not motion for me.

"I'm much better. A bit of blood and a bit of rest, who knew?" It was more than awkward, him standing so far away from me. He must have felt guilty for having sent us to Jacqueline.

He should.

"I'm very happy to see that you're well." He dipped his head and headed back the way he came. A few seconds after he left I turned to face Ondre, who shook his head lightly, and I knew it'd have to wait.

"So, are we...staying here?" I asked the air.

"Oh, no! Well, you may, if you'd like." Annabelle responded. "Hasn't Ondre told you?" I saw her tilt her head and raise an eyebrow. I shook my head.

"Well, no use in spoiling it any more than I have." She said dismissively. She stepped towards me, and hugged me again. "Please, come by sometime soon." Her hands rested my shoulder blades. "Take care of him Ondre." She said and turned away, leaving the room.

Once she was gone I looked at Ondre. "So...What haven't you told me?" I crossed my arms, staring up at him.

"Well, we saved the King. And being the gracious monarch that he is, he's graced us with gifts."

"Gifts?"

"Yes, Darling, gifts." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a key. "This is the first."

* * *

The car was one of the black, featureless luxury cars that I'd seen before. It was sleek with soft, curved lines that seemed to wrap all the way around.

"It's beautiful." I said, laying my hands on its cool, shining surface.

"It's ours."

"How kind; doesn't quite make up for my broken arms, or the silver blade in my chest." I turned my head to see Ondre looking at me with sorrow and remorse.

"Please, don't talk about that." My torture had become his agony. I could see in his eyes he'd never be able to let go of what he saw in the seconds before he killed Jacqueline. I instantly felt guilty for bringing it up.

"How much did you see?" I asked, stepping away from the car.

"Enough..." He turned his head away from me. And I shot at him, taking his head in my hands.

"What did you see?"

"I saw her drawing the silver back, ready to jam it into your heart. That's what I saw."

I let go of his face and we were both quiet for a moment. "Thank you. You saved me." I laid my hands on his waist, and he pulled me into him.

"Don't mention it...Ever again." He kissed the top of my head and then leaned down to kiss my lips. His hands slowly rose up my back and held me close to him, his face on the side of mine. After a moment of unending serenity he pulled away. "So, ready to see gift number two?"

* * *

We pulled out of the King's fenced in grounds and got onto the highway. The car handled incredibly well, gliding along the pavement with grace and ease. The interior was like the rest of the vehicle, luxurious and smooth. The seats were made of black leather and conformed perfectly to the curves of my spine.

"Nice right?" Ondre said looking over at me relaxing in the seat.

"I suppose, much better than Tin Lizzie." Ondre flicked his tongue across his teeth and let out a light laugh.

"What a piece of shit." He tossed out, and we shared a laugh. He reached over and laid his hand on my knee, then slid it down and gripped my thigh. He looked up at me, biting his lower lip. I let his hand linger on my leg but I ignored his gaze.

"So does this car have a name?"

"It's a Ferrari 458 Italia."

"Hmm. That's just sounds sexy." Ondre looked back at me, and we exchanged flirtatious grins. "So, what's this second gift?"

"You'll see." He said, his eyes jerking back to the road. I made a sound of discontent and turned to watch the world blaze past on the other side of the window. We were driving for some time, at least an hour or more when Ondre turned down a heavily forested road.

Within minutes it came into view.

A house standing in a small clearing surrounded by incredible, ancient trees. It was a modern home, with limited windows and solid pale white walls. It was lovely, but it was clearly a way for the King to keep his thumb over us.

"Quick question, are my shoes in there?" Ondre shook his head and touched mine.

"That, and so much more." I raised an eyebrow and after a moment of apprehension shot from the car and darted into the house.

It was minimalist, with very little decoration. The walls were the same as those on the outside, giving the house a uniform look and feel. It smelled like humans, but that didn't bother me, they'd have been the only ones able to get the house ready in the 12 or more hours since Jacqueline's death.

"So, what do you think?" Ondre was leaning on the doorway.

"It's lovely, but I can't help feeling like it's nothing but a larger holding pen." He let out a chuckle.

"I suppose it is, but we're not going to be locked up in here. It's our home, to do with what we want."

"Ours?"

"Yes, Love; for you and I." He stood up and walked towards me, putting his hands on my hips, his fingers dipping under the waist of my black denim.

"Hmm..." I leaned back against his strong chest, my hands rising up to his neck. "Ondre?" I whispered. He made a sound and slipped his hand into my pants. "I'm hungry."

"I could grab you a TruBlood." He spread his legs apart, pressing his stomach into my back.

"No, I want blood." Ondre stopped, and turned me around, a dark grin on his face. "Let's hunt." He pulled my face to meet his and grabbed my hands.

"Race you." He pulled away, and we shot off into the night.

* * *

We ran for hours, enjoying the night, enjoying each other. He was so much faster than I; a sign of his extreme age. The moon was waning, and almost gone. Only a sliver of its silver glory remained high in the dark, starry sky. I lost sight of Ondre for a moment, and came to a stop, looking around.

"Up here." He said, forty feet up a tree in the untouched forest. I grunted and leaned against its trunk. "Aw, can't you climb?" He was leaning over the massive branch, peering down at me with a smirk on his face.

"I thought we were hunting?"

"We are, smell the air, Dear." He took a deep breath, and I did the same. I caught wind of smoke, burning wood mixed with an ignition agent. Then there was the musky, sweaty smell of human flesh. They were young; I could smell the youth in their sweat.

"I'm thinking it's about three of them. One of them has a visitor..." He trailed off, sniffing the air again. I could smell the faint bit of blood in the air. There was a female, she was menstruating. Her blood smelled wonderful, full of the creative energies of life. It was disgusting and tantalizing at the same time.

"You want her?" He asked, leaping from the tree landing a few feet beside me.

"No, I want her boy. He smells fighty..." I took another breath and began to paint a picture in my mind of the scene. "One thing, Ondre, no killing." He turned around and threw a puzzled look at me. I stared back at him, determined to stand my ground. There was a long silence then he let out a sigh that sounded like a laugh.

"Alright, no killing." He touched my face and kissed my forehead. "Let's go ruin their night." He smiled a grim smile and took off towards the scents of life.

Ondre popped out first and stood on the edge of their camp. The couple was wrapped up in each other, the man's hand fiddling away at the girl's pants. I stood behind them, watching Ondre watch the couple. Their friend was passed out in a tent, alcohol seething from every pore. After a moment the man opened his eyes as his lover took him in her hand. His eyes glazed over from drinking it took him some time to notice the man beyond the flames. Once he did he shot up, shouting and swearing.

"Who the fuck are you!?" He shouted, tucking himself back into his pants. The woman screamed and crawled back.

"Who the FUCK I am doesn't matter. What's your name?" Ondre stepped forward, his arms behind his back. The young man reached behind his back and pulled a knife from a loop in his belt. He held it with skill, the blade pointed down with its edge facing the advancing man. "Your name, please?" Ondre smiled, like a cat pawing at a mouse. I caught his eyes and knew it was my time. I shot from the forest, grabbing the woman around the neck and stood beside Ondre. She screamed, kicking and flailing.

"How about now?" Ondre said, touching the woman's face.

"Derrick! His name is Derrick!" She shouted, her frantic eyes searching for mercy from Ondre and I. She would find none.

"Derrick, what a wonderfully masculine name. Look at me Derrick. Look into my eyes." He held his hand out, fingers extended. Derrick's eyes widened as he fixed them on Ondre's, and Ondre drew closer to him.

"My Lover and I are going to feed on you and your lady friend here. Do you have a problem with that?" Derrick was silent, his muscles relaxing. "No you don't." Ondre said, shaking his head.

"No, I don't..." He said slowly, shaking his head slightly. Ondre chuckled.

"What is the name of the girl you were just finger-fucking?"

"Joanie..." He said slowly.

"Joanie, won't you come here my Dear?" Ondre kept his eyes on Derrick and held his other hand behind him.

"It'll all be over soon..." I whispered to her, and ran at Ondre, tossing her into his arms and leaping on Derrick, tackling him to the ground. Ondre held his hand over the woman's mouth as his fangs sank into her flesh. I covered the man's mouth the same way and twisted his head, exposing his neck. I could hear her muffled screams through Ondre's powerful hand.

The hypnotism wore off and the strong man beneath me kicked and squirmed. I threw my legs over his arms and drank until I felt his pulse slow, but he was very much alive.

"Derrick. Derrick, look at me. Look at me!" I grabbed his face and held it to mine, forcing his gaze to my eyes. "Derrick..." I said slowly, and he relaxed under me. "Good boy." A blank stare washed over his face. "Tonight, you had an excellent time with Joanie. You made love under the stars, held and kissed her tenderly. But now-" I touched my finger to a fang and smeared a drop of blood into the puncture marks on his neck. "-You're much too tired to stay awake. You're going to go to bed. And wake early in the morning, then buy Joanie a necklace; something flashy."

"Flashy..." He said, and I patted his head.

"Good boy." I climbed off of him, pulling him up, my eyes locked on his. Ondre appeared behind me.

"She's out, put him to bed. We don't have much time before dawn." He said in my ear. I sent the man to sleep then Ondre and I took off into the night.

* * *

Running after drinking my fill of blood, true blood, was fantastic. I could have run until dawn, and I had to. We reached our home moments before the sun rose over the grove that hid our house. Ondre and I stepped in and activated the light-sealing technology equipped to the sparsely placed windows. A sheet of steel blocked out the encroaching sunlight and we held each other standing in the open living room.

The floors were a dark wood laid in long horizontal planks. A single white, shaggy rug lay in front of the door with a geometric wooden table in the center. The sofa was pure white, with small dark wooden legs on each corner. A table topped by a sheet of glass sat in front of the sofa, against the wall was a smaller loveseat made in the style of the sofa. I lay out across the sofa and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

Ondre leapt across the back of the couch and straddled me like I had Derrick. He pinned my hands together above my head, his hips on either side of my chest. "Howdy, cowboy." I said, submissively. He cocked his head to the side and a grin slipped across his face.

"Cowboy?" He squeezed his hips together. I let him simmer for a moment.

"Cowgirl?" I flicked my tongue across my lips and felt his hand at my neck. "What I thought..." I choked out. He held me, and leaned in kissing my lips, relaxing his grasp. As his tongue invaded my mouth I could feel the sunlight begin to pound on the walls of our home.

"Fucking sunlight..." He said after releasing me. I pulled him on to me and kissed him.

"Let's just go to bed..." I said softly. He scooped me into his arms and carried me into our bedroom.


	14. Beneath the Surface

Our home was adorned with incredible technological wonders. Alongside the light blocking steel built within the bulletproof windows there was a security system designed to seek out life and neutralize it, in case of a break in during the day. There were tablets strewn across the bed when we got to the bedroom our first night; several in fact.

Three different sizes, two of each size. The smallest fit perfectly into a pocket, the largest was able to lie in the lap; the one in between them was to fit perfectly in the hand. Ondre explained they had varying purposes. The smallest was a phone, the largest was a tablet computer, the middle-sized one was something he called an 'e-reader'. It had become my close friend in the week we'd been living there.

I was reading a book by a prominent French author when Ondre appeared behind me.

"So...Are you going to read all night?"

"Maybe." I said dismissively. He scoffed and snatched the small computer from me, tossing it on to the glass table. "Really?" I turned and asked him. He stood defiantly, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. "Insuffisamment mûri..." I shook my head and stood. After a moment of silence I spoke, feeling annoyed with Ondre. "Are we going to do something, or should I sit back down?"

He stared for a second, and then let out a breathy laugh. "You're so cute when you're mad." I shook him off and stepped towards the door. I turned the knob and let the night rush into our home. It was brisk, and thick with moisture.

"Where might you be going?" Ondre asked walking up behind me. He slipped a hand around my waist and kissed my ear.

"Does it really matter?" He made a sound and pulled me up against his body. I heard the phone in his coat pocket go off; it vibrated and played an eerie, synthetic beat as the ringtone. He took it out and glanced at the screen, then threw me a look and swiped his finger across the screen and held it to his ear.

"Good evening Your Majesty...Yes, we'd be more than happy to...We'll be there in an hour." He touched the screen again and slipped it into his pocket. "Pack a bag, we're flying." He said and shot into our bedroom, I heard things being thrown about and I ran in after him.

[BAR]

I stood in the airport terminal watching the humans stare at me. I was the only man in heels, and in this area would be for years. I was wearing a pair of seven-inch heels draped in silvery crocodile skin that wrapped around the entire wedge-shape of the shoe. Beneath the toe was a platform to lessen the strain on the foot, suitable for a human, but vampires didn't feel fatigue unless in the presence of daylight.

Ondre had gone further in to meet our contact, he left me near the counter, waiting; impatiently. One man who stood about fifty feet from me looked like a whale in pastor's clothing. He cast his lazy, puckered eyes my direction and took me in. They ran from the jacket Annabelle had given me to the black spiked latex bangle about my right wrist, the grey skinny jeans and hovered at my shoes. He grabbed the tarnished cross around his neck and shook his head.

I shot at him, fangs bared and hissed. He fell over and scrambled away, a bible falling from his bag.

"Ignorant fuck." I spat and kicked the ancient book away.

"Dead-ass fanger!" He tried to shout, but fear had gripped his throat and he ran. I could hear his heart pounding like a helicopter engine as he waddled away. I let out a laugh and leaned back against the counter. The room around me was silent and I turned to face the woman behind a computer. Her face was frozen in fear, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Calm down, I ate on the way." I scoffed and pushed myself away from the cold plastic. That's when I heard her.

"Leon!" Her voice was shrill but sweetly southern. I spun and saw Annabelle standing with Ondre a few feet away from me. She threw out her arms and ran at me. We met in a warm and friendly embrace. "Look at you!" She pulled away. "Tell me, how much do love those shoes?"

"Quite a lot." I said, smiling at her sweet innocent face. We held hands for a moment, and she threw herself at me again. We hugged for a few seconds longer and I saw Ondre's face behind us. It was gripped in a laugh, his hand over his mouth.

"How are you enjoying your new home? The clothes? The toys?"

"They're lovely, thank you Annabelle."

"That jacket looks incredible on you. Matches those shoes perfectly. Guess I've rubbed off on you." She grinned and stepped away. "So, down to business. Let's walk."

She led us away from the dismal crowd and we stood in front of a small window that looked out on the tiny runway. "The King wants to thank you for your services, again. He also wants to apologize to you, Leon, for the suffering you endured at the hands of Jacqueline." She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it for a brief moment then let go. "But he requires your help once more."

"With the current lack of law in his Kingdom he's in need of new sheriffs. He has a few candidates lined up, most of which have showed up. One of which, has yet to make contact."

"And he wants us to find him?"

"Precisely." Annabelle responded.

"Where exactly is this vampire?"

"West Virginia, somewhere near the borders with Ohio and Kentucky."

"And what are we to do when we find him?"

"Her, and that's up to you. Just make her see things our way, the King's way."

"And if she's unwilling?"

"Well, I can't imagine he'd be pleased." She raised an eyebrow, flexing the muscles given to her by Jackson. Ondre fell silent here, but I could feel the irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

"Her name is Mira. She's just over three-hundred years old, and a bit shorter than you are Leon. Here's a picture for reference." Annabelle reached into her coat and pulled out a phone just like the ones we were given. She held it up and revealed a stunningly beautiful woman. She must have been turned in her early twenties, and her angelic face was framed in billowing golden hair.

"Could we get a copy of that?" I asked.

"Already done, Sweetheart." With that the phones in our pockets began to vibrate and she smirked. She dropped the phone back into her coat pocket and readjusted the dark red fabric over her shoulders. "Contact me once you've found her, if she has demands they can be met. Within reason." She touched my shoulder. "Good luck. Your flight leaves in five." Then she turned and sped out of the building.

"Come on then; this way." Ondre flashed our tickets and led me towards the gate, his eyes lingering on the door Annabelle exited from.

[BAR]

The flight was short, and I spent it tapping through the book Ondre had taken away from me hours before. It was a good read, full of lusty, muscular Frenchmen and I found my already tight pants growing tighter with each page. I felt the landing; it was smooth and soon after my casket was opened. The door rose up with a dull hissing sound and the fluorescent light of the cabin flashed in my eyes.

"Mr. Karston, we've arrived." The woman was lithe and pale, nearly as pale as me or Ondre, nearly. Her blonde hair was stringy and brittle; her gums had receded from her teeth. I'd recognize anorexia anywhere. I looked her over for a moment, and then stood from the box, my tablet tucked inside the deep jacket pocket. She turned around to let Ondre out but he shot from the box and stood behind her before she could bend down.

"Goodbye." He said forcefully, and she, with a look of fear, dipped her head and hurried off the plane. "So, we're in West-fucking-Virginia. Lovely."

"Do you have a problem with West-fucking-Virginia?"

"It's a breeding ground for ignorance, is all. Plus, they all taste like coal."

"Hmm..." I huffed and nudged him in the arm. "Shouldn't we get off the plane; it'll be dawn before too long. We need to find a place to sleep."

"Taken care of." He said holding the phone in his hand. "Apparently, the King has some sort of cabin out in these woods." He showed me the screen; it was smallest, most decrepit piece of shit house I'd ever seen. The roof was sunken, missing near all of its shingles. The porch had once been flanked by two columns, but now only one stood, and it was hardly there at all. The two windows had been blown out with a bit of tattered fabric hanging out, impaled on the broken glass. After a moment of total disbelief I found the words I sought.

"Are you fucking serious?"

"I am so fucking serious..." He sighed and threw his arm around my neck, and pulled me off the plane.

The air was cool, cold even, and free of the particulate that infested the cities. It was fresh and clean, but the stench of the plane behind us was thick.

"Which way?" I asked through my teeth, throwing my bag over my shoulder. Ondre pulled out his phone and after a moment pointed northwest. "Merde!" I shouted to the sky and sped off into the forest. Within seconds Ondre pulled alongside of me.

[BAR]

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I said looking at the shanty cabin we were to stay in. "The windows are blown out! How in the hell are they supposed to keep the sunlight out?" I ran in, and shot back out through the back door. "There's not even a coffin in here!" I shouted.

"Come here." Ondre said from inside the tiny wooden room.

"Yes, Darling." I said, feeling more venom in my voice than I anticipated. I stepped into the shack and looked up to see Ondre's narrowed eyes staring down at me, a slight smile on his face. "...Sorry..." He looked back to his phone, sliding his finger across the screen.

"Watch this." His fingers moved at vampire speed across the screen of his phone. There was a semi-audible click from deep under the floor as he stopped. The ground shook a bit and began to move. It parted beneath our feet and a shining box rose up from the floor. Doors split apart and revealed a pearly white interior.

"Oh, wow…" I trailed off, staring into the elevator.

"Indeed." He threw a smirk my way and stepped in, laying his bag on the tiled floor. I stepped in behind him, the door shut and we went underground.


	15. Sex, Drugs, and an Underground Sanctuary

The ride down was smooth, and felt like we had scarcely moved at all, but I could feel we were deep beneath the penetrating oppression of the sun. The gleaming metal doors split and revealed a marbled floor, with a high ceiling. It made me think of our home in the Virginian forest, only larger; much, much larger.

"Is this better?" Ondre asked. I made a sound and stepped out, my wedges making very little noise as I walked. Ondre brushed past me, my bag thrown over his shoulder, his over the other. I watched him walk, my eyes flicking along his back and down his legs. With each step he took the bottom of his shirt would pick up and reveal a sliver of his tight, rippled back. I saw it, each time feeling heat begin to spread up from my loins.

"I feel your eyes on me, you know?" He called about 10 feet in front of me. I smiled, feeling the fire spreading up into my stomach and took my jacket off, throwing it over my shoulder. I kicked out of my crocodile shoes and picked them up and took off after Ondre. He had taken a turn down a wide corridor and was walking towards a large set of double doors. He got to them, and pushed them open with his foot, then sped in and laid the bags on the bed, hanging himself over it.

The room was large, like the rest of the building, with the same shimmery marble on the floor. The bed, however, sat on a raised platform with steps on the side facing the door. The stand came out about two feet on all sides of the bed and was made of a beautiful dark wood. The bed was large, larger than any I'd ever seen before, known as a 'California King' size bed. Its bedposts were made from polished tree limbs, thick as I was that rose up and formed a canopy above the immense bed.

Ondre had wrinkled its dressings, which were a subdued grey with tiny star-bursts all over it. The pillows matched and I could see the sheets' soft, pale, white pattern of interlocking diamonds. In the center of the bed, hanging several feet above it was a glass dome about three feet wide which radiated light from its underside. I stepped inside and up the platform which the bed rested. "Ouah la..." I exhaled looking around the room.

The wall which held the door was an image of symmetry. On either side was a large wooden dresser; appearing as if they had been pulled from the innards of a great tree, polished, and laid in our bedroom. One had a metallic vase which was easily a foot tall, and curved in a beautifully twisted manner. The other dresser held a large, flat terra-cotta bowl with etchings in some tribal language. Above both of the massive dressers was a mirror. Rectangular and as long as I am tall, each wrapped in the same dark wood that held the bed off the floor. Then I noticed the tiny triangle of paper on the dressers, each bearing one of our names.

'Leon' was all it read, written in a beautiful, wide stroked hand. I plucked it from the top and turned it over in my hands. I could detect no smell on it, which was more startling than anything, but I couldn't resist. I opened the top drawer and saw a vast collection pants. The second drawer contained underwear, undershirts, socks; that sort of thing. The bottom, largest drawer was full of shirts in thousands of different colors and patterns. I picked one up; made of the softest, warmest fabric I've ever touched and unfolded it. It was black with only a crescent moon in the bottom right of the shirt, where it'd lay perfectly over my hips.

"Annabelle..." I said laying the shirt back in the drawer and shutting it.

"She loves you." Ondre said, and I heard a bag being unzipped. "What the fuck-So...How many shoes did you bring exactly?" He asked, with a certain kind of annoyance in his voice.

"Enough." I said, climbing the steps and sitting down on the massive bed. He began to pull them out and lay them beside me. "Oh yes, I love these." I said, taking the first pair in my hands. They were pumps, with a 7-inch heel painted a lovely golden color. Their straps were made of gem-stone embedded leather and ran high up the leg, halfway to my knee. I set them down on the wooden floor and grabbed another pair. This continued for a time until he ran out of shoes.

"You brought nine pair of shoes?"

"Suppose so. Which closet is mine?" Ondre laughed at this, enjoying my indifference.

"I think the closet is that way." He pointed to a door at the far right side of the room.

"Thank you, Darling." I kissed him and in a blur of speed, arranged my shoes and clothes in the closet and reappeared on the bed, this time without my shirt.

"Hello there..." Ondre said lightly, sliding across the bed. He propped himself up on one elbow, he laid his other arm across my stomach, plucking at my waistband.

"Hello..." I grabbed his hand and brought it up to my chest. His strong fingers gripped my muscled breast and gave it light squeeze. I bit my lip, and stretched out my legs, pushing into his hand.

"Someone's frisky."

"Aren't I always?" I smiled, flashing my teeth. He let out a sighing laugh and ran his hand over my shoulder, then gripped my neck. My fangs extended, as did Ondre's. In an instant I was on top of him, my legs spread on either side of his hips. Ondre let out a deep, carnal exhale and slipped his fingertips into my waistband.

"That's so sexy..." His tongue swiftly ran over his teeth.

"What is?" I asked, rocking my hips.

"You, on top of me, fangs exposed." Having more modesty I would have blushed, but it only fed the fire which now burnt into my neck and thighs. My fingers pushed under his shirt and in a moment tore it to shreds, the collar hanging from his neck with the dark fabric flayed like the skin of an animal.

"That's better." I looked over his body, his broad thick chest with its sprinkling of dark hair; the mountains of his abdomen, the valleys between the muscles. He was god, with power beyond mortal comprehension and I sat atop him. An offering of flesh to be torn asunder. "Bite me-" I moaned and felt him rush at me, throwing me into the thick comforter. In the same moment he split my legs apart and they wrapped around his hips, his fangs sank into my neck and I could feel him sucking down my blood.

One vampire feeding on another was something done very rarely, only the oldest of our race are able to fully process vampiric blood and gain nourishment equal to that of a human's. Ondre was hardly the oldest vampire in existence, but I'd met few older. Most vampires these days are younger than I, the Great Revelation leading to thousands of newborns in just a few years.

He held me down with the sheer power of his body, but I wouldn't have resisted. I loved when he ravaged me, dominated me, made me prey. He snarled as he drank from my neck and pressed his pelvis into me. I held his head to my neck with a hand, the other gripping and digging into his back. In a moment he pulled away from my neck, blood pouring from his mouth it dripped onto my chest.

He leaned in and touched his lips to mine, smearing blood across my flesh. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me. A hand of his grabbed me at the base of my ribs and began to grope at my body. The other slid under my arm and pulled me into his chest. We lay like this for a moment; I took deep breaths of his scent, his sweet, warm, earthy scent. Then in a swift motion flipped us over, his arms still wrapped around me, one of his legs in-between mine.

We pulled away and I buried my face into his neck.

"I can smell me inside you."

"I want to be inside you..." He breathed into my ear, and I knew I was done for.

"Fuck me..." I begged. "Fuck me, Ondre. Like it's our last night..."

At this he took it slow. Holding me close with one hand, while unbuttoning my pants with the other. He slid my tiny pair of underwear down past my knees and off my ankles with his feet. I took his pants off and removed what was left of his shirt, both of us undressing the other until we were bare against each other. His body was warm and strong, and I felt myself go weak in his arms.

He held me to his chest and sat up on the bed, my legs were behind him as his were behind me. His hand drifted down my back and rested on my rear, until after a time it moved further down and I could feel long, streamlined finger penetrate me. I whimpered and jumped at the invasion, but it was welcome.

"Shhh..." He whispered into my ear. "Relax, my Love." He said softly, and I took a deep breath of his robust scent, feeling him slip deeper inside. It hurt, there was no doubt to that, but the pleasure soon vastly out-weighed the pain and I lay against his chest. My whimpers turned into moans, which became gasps, and turned into short, airy cries.

I was ready, and he pulled me down onto him, slowly we fell into the bed and I felt his legs spread apart in preparation. He kissed my neck, and ran his tongue lazily up my neck. "Tu veux?" He whispered, his finger still working at my bottom.

"Ouias...S'il te plaît." I begged, my eyes shut I kissed at him. My lips touched the side of his face, then his neck and his ear. "S'il te plaît..." I panted.

He moved his free hand, slipping it over my back and gripping my cheek. He spread me apart, his finger sliding out and grabbing the other. I felt him brush against my leg as he positioned himself, then it rested against my hole. He slid it against the pink flesh for a moment, each of his tiny movement sent shivers up my spine. "Arrêtez!" I shouted, and heard him laugh.

Then, in one motion we pushed against each other. I don't know who did more, but he lurched inside me. We groaned in unison, my head kicked back and eyes shut, reveling in the transgression. It was slow and calm, with all the passion love making should carry, and then some. We kissed each other, our lips meeting, our tongues trespassing into mouths; hands pulling and holding.

We thrust and bounced together for what felt like an eternity, each of us lost in the other. There was a voice, a high feminine voice laced with ecstasy crying out Ondre's name. It was sharp and gaspy, full of air but without breath. Then I realized it was my voice, I was gasping out his name, as he was mine. The air was full of thick, sticky moisture as we breathed and gasped our lover's name.

"Ooondreee...Ooonnndreeee..." I panted.

"Leon...Leeeooonnn..." Ondre moaned my name, each thrust going deeper and faster. I gasped his name again, feeling the intense pressure building in my loins. Another thrust, then another, again and again until I couldn't contain myself.

"Ondre!" I shrieked his name and shot the load from the tip of my shaft. It landed on my chest, my stomach, then continued over my shoulders and landed on Ondre behind me. At this I felt his entire body tighten and he unloaded his seed into me; each spurt hot and thick. I fell into him, who collapsed into the bed. We panted, gasping for breath; my hand fell over and landed on his arm.

"Je t'aime." I said through gasps.

"I love you." He said, and kissed my neck.

I opened my eyes, looking at the thick, crimson semen covering my body. "I'm covered..." I said slowly.

"Let's shower." He kissed me again and in a blur of vampiric speed picked me off the bed and sped us into the bathroom.

* * *

I was standing in the doorway to the bedroom with a towel hanging about my waist, leaning on the solid wooden strut. I looked to the bed, which was in shambles. At least the comforter was. Wrinkled, furrowed, and splattered with our bloody semen it looked an absolute mess.

"Is there a washing machine down here?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

"Has to be, our phones have complete layouts. Check one of them." I looked over my shoulder, seeing Ondre still under the steaming stream of water. I was tempted to stand and watch, and did for a moment, then pulled myself away and flipped through my phone. There were three messages. The most recent:

"All of those fabulous clothes are yours, so bring them when you come back!

-Annabelle"

I shook my head and smiled to myself. Annabelle was a wonderful friend, the first I'd had in a very long time. The next message after that was an incredibly detailed floor plan of our little hide-away. It had a kitchen, fully stocked with TruBlood. There was also a living room, which we saw on our way in. A conference room, security room, three bedrooms, each complete with closets and bathrooms. Ours was the largest. Then at the end of the hallway our bedroom was located on was the laundry room.

"Found it. Be right back." I called to Ondre and in a flash bundled up the blanket and ran into the laundry room. The two machines were massive. Above the washing machine was a chart, showing how to wash each major article of clothing and dressing in the sanctuary. "God I love her..." I said to myself finding the measurements for the comforter.

I fed the machine and started it up and left it alone, walking back down the hallway with my phone in my hand. The final message was the information on Mira. It contained several pictures of her, some old, very old. One in particular was black and white. She had a classic kind of beauty, timeless in her elegance. She stood with a straight back, the way noble women were expected to. She was an exact five feet and nine inches tall, much shorter than me, and even shorter than Ondre.

"She's quite beautiful. In a Victorian-sort of way." Ondre was behind me, running a Q-Tip about in his ear.

"That's what I was thinking. But she was turned in the late 1700's; Queen Victoria reigned from June 20, 1837 to January 22, 1901."

Ondre smiled and lowered his brow. "Look at the big brain on Leon." I shrugged him off and heard a quiet sighing laugh escape from him.

"So, any ideas where she may be?"

"She's got to be somewhere." I stared at him in silence for a moment, and saw a gleeful smile race across his perfect face. "Well, we should start by finding any vampire bars or clubs in the area. Maybe they've seen her, maybe not." I grunted, not enjoying the situation we were thrust in. Hunting a much older, stronger, faster vampire in foreign territory was something I didn't want any part of. Yet somehow I was right in the middle.

Then I felt it. The sun had begun to show its horrid face across the horizon. I was weak, and dizzy.

"Come on." Ondre grabbed me and pulled me to his chest. "It's dawn, let's get to bed." I didn't fight him and let him pull me to bed.

* * *

The evening came and I awoke under the softest, coolest sheet I'd ever slept with. Along with the sexiest vampire to ever walk the earth. It was a nice way to wake up, if I had been in my own home. Or even my home state.

"Troubled?" My lover's voice broke through my distress. I opened my eyes and saw him lying on his back, his beautiful chest exposed, the sheet resting just below his sternum.

"Not anymore." I smiled and reached out to him, he grabbed my hand and pulled up against him. We cuddled, his arms wrapped tight around my chest, one leg tucked in-between mine. We lay on the incredible bed, in the center of the marvelous bedroom enjoying each other. It'd been a while since I felt this good.

In the long, miserable years I'd gone without Ondre, I'd lost a piece of myself. Though with him I lost myself in his barbarism. Even so, it was an evolution, I was able to explore my impulses and truly discover myself. I discovered I was as much a monster as he was, there were countless nights he and I had bathed in the blood of innocent humans; reveled in their torment, laughing as the light faded from their eyes.

It was monstrous, but it was who were.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ondre stroked the side of my face.

"No. I'm starving." I exhaled, feeling my body sink closer to his. Ondre made a sound of unease and kissed my neck.

"I'll be right back." He squeezed me tighter for a moment, then pulled away from me and stood from the bed, climbed down the stairs and walked out of the room. I watched him slink down the hall, his naked body left a burning in my gut. It wasn't until I lost eyesight of him that I felt my fang burrowing into my lip.

"Fuck..." I said, prying my tooth out of my lip. The wound healed immediately and I wasted no more time on it. I sat up, holding myself up on my elbow. Looking around the room it was surprisingly clean after our first night. My pants were hanging off the platform which held the bed. My shoes were toppled over in the floor by closet, What was left of Ondre's shirt was on the marble floor, along with his pants and coat. I shook my head and climbed off the bed, picking up the shreds of his shirt tossing them into a trashcan in the bathroom.

I walked back and picked up his coat, with was shining black leather with an irregular striped texture. I threw it over my arm and heard something fall into the marble. It hit with the soft clunk of wood, and grabbed my attention.

I could smell it before I turned to see it. It was the stench of marijuana; fine marijuana, the kind grown my human hand and technology. "What the fuck-?" I turned to see a thick dark cigar on the floor rolling away from the opened box, which held several others and a wide glass tube containing ground bud. "Oh, Ondre." I dropped his coat and picked the box up, the cigar in my fingers and ran it under my nose.

"Ouah la..." I breathed in its rotten, skunky, earthy, burning aroma. It scorched my nostrils and sent a rush of blood to my brain. The vial shimmered with crystals; I'd seen diamonds with less luster. The bud was a light green color tinged with fluorescent yellows. I took it all back to the bed and laid the box beside me. Taking the small end of the blunt in my mouth I took the long thin, golden lighter from the box and struck it, igniting the tobacco.

"Really?" Ondre called from the end of the room, holding a warmed bottle of TruBlood, wearing a look of surprise and confusion. "Really?" He said again watching me burn through the leaf.

I only stared back, breathing in the sweet smoke and puffing it out, pulling the fire to the plant inside.

"Couldn't even call me." He trailed off and stepped into the room. He set the bottle on the wooden floor and sat down beside me. "That's good shit, be careful." He warned just as it hit my throat. It burnt like the sun on my flesh. Ondre reached out and took it from my lips just as I exploded in a cloud of smoke.

I shot up from the bed and dashed into the bathroom, coughing and hacking. Tears welled in my eyes and I could feel steam shooting from my ears. I fell to the floor and hung on to the sink, blood streaming down my face. I took shallow breaths, as any more hurt too much to bear. Within moments I had recovered and was able to breath, but the back of my throat burnt like it had been sliced with a razor.

"You alright there, Lightweight?" Ondre said standing in the doorway. I looked up to see him inhale and pull the now half gone cigar from his mouth. He held it in for a moment then let it out, without so much as a cough.

"Rea-" I tried to speak, but halfway through the word a stream of smoke shot from my mouth in a cough. Ondre laughed and fell into the doorway.

"You're so cute." He smiled, stood and walked towards me, leaning down. "Here." He took my chin in his hand and pulled me to him. "Just breathe." He said and put the burning blunt to his lips, pulled in and quickly moved in to my face. Our lips touched for a brief moment, long enough for them to open. Then he exhaled a slow and steady stream of smoke into my mouth.

I sucked it down, slowly. It wasn't as harsh as it was before, and smelled slightly like him. My eyes fluttered about my skull as I began to feel the smoke enter my blood. It swam to my brain and knocked me over. Ondre pulled away and laughed, falling to the bathroom floor. He touched the tip of the burning cigar to his tongue and for a second the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but he healed before he pulled it away from his skin and set it on the sink.

We sat there, laughing like children for an immeasurable amount of time. Or at least it seemed that way. It'd been ages since I got high, and I've never encountered this grade of bud. The walls shimmered and danced. The floor moved beneath me and I rolled over to my side, moving closer to Ondre.

"Hey Ondre..." I said through a stream of giggles.

"What?" He said slowly, snickering himself.

"We're naked...We're both naked..." I said and touched his shoulder. In an instant I felt myself in his arms and rushing through the air. I then felt the soft bed underneath me and Ondre's hard, warm body on top of me.

"It would appear-" I chuckled, gripping his hips. "-we are." He smiled, big and beautifully, flashing his gleaming white teeth. He grabbed my shoulder and then my waist. "You're so fucking sexy." I couldn't contain myself and let out a childish laugh. Ondre fell into me and laughed against my chest.

"I love you." I said and kissed his ear.

"I love you." He kissed my neck climbing back on his hands.

"I love you." I kissed him again.

"I love you." He kissed me and pressed his hips into mine.

* * *

The clock on the wall showed it was half-past ten. The room was full of thick, steamy air. Ondre's bloody semen coated my stomach, mixing with my own. The walls rolled and rocked and I held my hand over my head.

"So...when does this wear off?"

"It lasts about 4 hours for me. For a sober little vamp like you, could be all night." He kissed my lips and touched my neck. "Let's go clean up." He pulled away and stepped down and into the bathroom.

I grabbed the now cold bottle of TruBlood and followed behind him.


	16. Welcome to The Rock

Ondre leaned over me with a lovely grin on his face. "Sleep it off." He breathed slowly and kissed my lips. I bit at his lower lip and bucked against him, then giggled and fell against the bed.

"Sleep, my Love. I'll be back before dawn."

"Where are you going?" I felt a surge of concern rush through me. I had no control over my emotions, and I found even this laughable.

"To do some research, just stay here." He glared at me for a moment, until a laugh broke through and he kissed me again, this time falling into me. I let him press against me and took in his scent. Just then he climbed off and walked out of the bedroom.

"I love you!" I called out, hearing him respond the same. Warmth ignited in my chest and bloomed all over like a field of wildflowers. And in the explosion of emotion I was swept away into the past.

The air was cool, and brisk; the blood covering my body drenching the air in the stench of death. Before me lay a small lake, at its far end was a rock formation that stuck out from the mountain. Rolling out down the rock face was a strong and limpid stream. It billowed down the stone and splashed into the lake in a tall, wide waterfall.

Ondre flew up behind me and threw his arms around my chest. "That's incredible...Come, let's make love." He kissed the side of my face, then my earlobe before taking off along the lake shore. He ran around the edge of the water and up the tall formation of rocks. Then he stood on the apex and spread his arms wide and with a flash of his smile, jumped into the water. I ran the path he blazed, and jumped in with him. The water was cold, icy even, but that never bothered a vampire.

Ondre was standing under the cascade of water running his hands through his short dark hair, rinsing the blood out. The lake was deeper than it appeared; its surface hovered about under his sternum, exposing his blood-soaked chest. The water struck the top of his head and his shoulders, flowing down his neck, back and arms. His eyes were shut as he rinsed off, then he disappeared under the surface, popping back up further into the basin.

I laughed, watching him play. Holding my hands under the falling water it splashed up on to my neck, and carved a path through the blood clinging to my flesh. I cupped some in my hands and poured it over my face, washing away the blood. The night was clear and fresh, tiny, stringy clouds dotted the sky and threaded through the glowing moon. I dipped myself under the water and shook my head, tossing bloody water all over the lake surface, but within moments most of the blood had washed off.

"You're so beautiful." Ondre said, appearing behind me. He gripped the base of my jaw and pressed his hand into my throat. It was aggressive, but passionate. His other arm wrapped around my waist and I felt his hand grabbing after what bobbed between my legs.

"You're terrible."

"Then make me stop." He grabbed it, squeezing before gently tugging. I giggled and pressed into his wide, strong body.

"Never." I kissed him, and pulled myself into his chest.

The scene changed. We were in a bar in 1940's Sacramento. The place was full of smelly, hairy sailors and drunk, stupid girls. Ondre stood in the corner, a large group of men and women around him. He held up a shot glass, a redhead around his arm bleary eyed and grinning from ear to ear; totally and wholly smitten with the most prolific killer in the room. I sat at the bar drinking a beer, to keep up appearances, and watched him work.

He smiled and held the glass high. Then he led them him a cheer of patriotism and national pride. The men cheered, and all at once threw back their alcohol and drank it down. Some made faces some didn't, Ondre didn't. Our eyes met for a moment, and I saw into his bloodlust. Heat shot up my spine, pooling in my stomach and chest. He winked, and then went back to his game.

The girl gave Ondre's arm a squeeze, he rolled up his sleeve and flexed for her. She gave it a rub, and a pinch before her entire face went red.

An hour had passed, now Ondre and I were outside, an alley away from the lively affair continuing at the bar. The young girl Ondre had been playing with was now his. She was in his arms, hanging lifeless in all directions. She breathed once more, a slow gurgling thing and with a look of despair died. Ondre let her fall to the ground. She hit with the thud only a fresh corpse can make. He twisted his neck, rocking it from side to side then kicked his head back.

I stepped towards him, and fell into his warm, sticky chest.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you." He kissed the side of my head, and within moments I was against the cold concrete wall, Ondre pounding my body with savage intensity.

A high pitched ring jerked me from my memories. It shook my concentration and it took a second for me to register what it was, then I reached for my phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked shyly.

"Leon, my Dear." Annabelle's voice rang out. "How are you this lovely night?"

"Ugh-" I paused, surprised by her intrusion onto my fantastical reminiscing. "I'm well." I finally was able to say. My eyes glanced around the room nervously and I saw Ondre standing in the doorway, staring down at me. His face held as much surprise as I must have been feeling.

"It's alright Leon. I'm only calling to check in on you! What do you think of the place? Are you settling in well?"

"Ugh-We're settling in quite nicely actually. I love the bed."

"I thought you would." She responded coyly. "It's made of some tree in the Amazon, quite expensive."

"I can imagine. Sturdy though." She and I laughed, mine tinged with embarrassment. Ondre looked on intrigued.

"Have you gone through your drawers? I found some lovely pieces to add to your growing collection." It was silent for a moment after I thanked her for the clothes, then she took a breath and the conversation took on a deeper tone. "Well, my main reason for calling is Jackson wants some answers, soon. I'll be running interference as long as I can, just get to work. Alright?" She asked in a way that blocked any true response.

"Yes ma'am." I choked out.

"Good. Hurry back, your dragons are in. Goodbye Leon." She said and hung up the phone.

"Interesting..." Ondre said.

"Isn't it? We only just got here. Is the King really expecting results this soon?"

"I doubt she'd lie to us about it, and honestly, it sounds his style. He's a man of action, and prefers results to words." This made me think of the night I saw him in his dungeon; leaning against the glass of his security cell, murderous bigot on the other side. He stood unwavering in his resolve, darkness in the hunching of his shoulders. His muscles tight and tense, fury boiling just under the surface.

"Hmmm...I'd rather not disappoint him..." My emotions spun out of control and I felt fear, with a growing anxiety.

"He's nothing, my Love." He said with a smile, yet somehow it didn't soothe my downward spiral. "Come on now; don't be afraid of Jackson Smith." At this Ondre was in front of me, holding my face. "He may have money and political power, but I'm older and faster. Not to mention smarter." A playful grin streaked across his face, which quickly spread to mine. "So don't worry about him, not yet. Come, help me research."

"Research what?" I asked as he turned around to leave the room.

"This shithole of a state." He said and walked out. I shrugged and followed behind him.

* * *

The entire room seemed to be alive and sprinting through cyberspace. Ondre and I were tracking down vampire hotspots in the area. Surprisingly, there were several.

"So..." I began my mind still hazy. "What exactly are we looking at?"

"This," He pointed to one of the smaller screens of the bunch. "Is a church, its catacombs serve as a underground rave of sorts."

"That could be fun." I said absentmindedly. Ondre threw a grin my way, and gave a shake of his head.

"This one," He motioned towards another screen. "Is an abandoned coal mine; It serves as a night club. It seems to be the most popular spot for miles."

For a moment, I lost myself in thoughts of a night club miles under a mountain. It was the perfect place for a vampire-bar. The sun could never penetrate through the solid earth, plus the constant threat of death from all sides really gets the mortal pulse pounding.

"You want to go, don't you?" Ondre said, turning his head to me, a sly smile on his face.

I shifted my footing and bumped into his muscular chest.

"Maybe...Would you dance with me?"

"Of course." He leaned down and kissed me. "Let's get dressed. Try not to attract too much attention." A smile broke through the corner of his mouth as he kissed my lips. He grabbed my hand and after synching the information to our phones, walked into the bedroom to dress.

* * *

Ondre's face said it all, but I asked anyway.

"How do I look?" I stood in front of the closet doors, wearing what I thought was a very suitable outfit for a night of clubbing, with a side of reconnaissance. Ondre looked like he didn't know where to start. His mouth shifted about his face, springing up in a smile, loosening in a breathy chuckle, and falling into firm smirk. He held his hands in front of his face, his thumbs resting on his plump limps.

"So...Stockings?" He said restraining a laugh. I nodded, and modeled them for a moment. I thought they were fabulous. They were sturdy, gunmetal grey, fishnet-style stockings, made to appear old and torn. I looked down at them; my flesh bulged out the slightest bit from their cling. Instead of covering the whole foot, these only had a strap of fabric going across the bottom of the foot.

"What of them?" I asked defensively.

"Nothing, I'm sure they'll go great with that pair of boots you're holding." This was obviously a jab; I sneered and rolled my eyes. "Perhaps it would be a bit more cohesive if you put on some fucking pants." He added.

At this, I had to agree. Somewhat.

I shook my head and walked into the closet. After a few moments of looking I had found just what I needed to pull it all together. It was a pair of black latex bike shorts. Rather, they had the fit of bike shorts; their length however was more along the lines of a miniskirt. After slipping into them I felt they barely covered my ass, instantly, I fell in love with them.

I slipped on the boots I found, a pair of knee-high stiletto boots with four inch heels wrapped in monochrome snake skin. After putting my boots on I stepped out and stood with indifference burned in my eyes.

"Hmm..." He said quietly. After a few seconds of silence he gave himself away and I saw the sparkle of his teeth as one popped out from behind his top lip and sank into the bottom.

I pushed out a snicker before slinking past him, grabbing my vest, and hurrying to the elevator.

* * *

"Well." Ondre said looking up to the night sky. "Would you look at that..." It was more of a declaration than an order. The moon was out in its fullest and brightest.

"Full moon." It was beautiful, misty clouds rose up from the forested mountains and wisped around the dark sky. Looking at the moon I could see craters and mountains, ridges and rips in the surface. I took it in for a moment before slipping on my coat and fixing my hair. "Think we'll run into any weres?"

"Perhaps. Just keep alert, and remember, go for the neck." He winked my way and touched my hand, giving it a squeeze before he took off into the dark forest.

He was much faster than I was, being seven times my age he was better than me at many things. Nevertheless, he did his best to keep pace with me, staying by my side most of the run.

The mine was dug right out of a mountain, abandoned over 30 years ago due to unsafe working conditions. There was no telling how many lives it had claimed in its years of servitude to the American industrial machine, but I assumed even more had been taken since its reopening and repurposing. Ondre said there would be a bouncer who guarded the entrance, and beyond him was another at the entry of the club. Making sure only those who've paid get in.

We ran by great, ancient trees, incredible mountainous stones, and reminders that life was once so much simpler. We passed a small collection of buildings, looking in worse shape than the shack that disguised our sanctuary. It was a mining station; there was a post office, a building representing the mining company, the rest of them too damaged to make out.

Ondre and I walked through the overgrown streets of this tiny collection of buildings. We held hands, something we did very rarely. I suppose both of us were imagining life here. Dirty men would return home late from a day in the mines, dinner would be on the table, a real home cooked meal. Families would gather around the table and share in stories of the day, laughing and smiling. Then, they'd go to bed, and sleep, awaiting the glorious sun to wake them for another day.

In these thoughts I saw Ondre and I enjoying the gift that is mortality; lying together while the sun streaked across our sheets and warmed our bed. We'd work for weeks in the heat, sweating over a dirt field to watch tiny green shoots poke up from the earth. Years would pass and we'd change. Our faces would sink, and our bodies would grow soft and frail. And when it came our time, we'd do it in our house, the house we had built together. First one and the other, with no ties to this plane, would slip away with him.

It was a life too beautiful for me.

"Leon? Are you there?" Ondre's voice shattered my vision and shot me back to reality. "Spacing?"

I grinned with a twinge of shame. "You know me..." I responded, feeling suddenly alone for some reason.

"Sunlight?" He said after a long silence. I said nothing, only walked towards him and pulled myself against his chest. His arms circled around me and we stood in silence again.

After a time, we moved on from the tiny little town that had brought up so much grief. I found myself being pulled into the earth by some unrecognizable force. It pulled at my chest and my arms. I wanted nothing more than to give in and fall to the ground, and never stand again. Ondre's hand around mine kept me up, and pulled me along.

It wasn't long before we found our mark. The forest thinned out and showed a crack in the earth along the side of a mountain. The air was thick with the smells of a dance club; alcohol, semen, and sweat. We stepped out of the tree line and walked towards the club. Ondre threw his arm over my shoulders and quickly whispered in my ear.

"No names. We're here to observe." I gave my head one swift nod and before I knew it, there was a man standing before us. He was a vampire, I could smell him. He was attractive enough, I suppose. His hair was short and tightly curled; with a red so bright it nearly looked orange. His arms were crossed before his chest and he just looked us over.

"Cross dresser?" He said, his voice thick with a Scottish accent.

"That's what they all say, 'till they get a taste." I responded, stepping towards him and dipping my hips the slightest. I don't know how, but this must have been the right thing to say, as he laughed and relaxed his stance.

"Cover charge is $100." He informed. "Each."

Ondre half snickered and took out a wallet and held two crisp $100 bills. The man motioned us forward and when we got close he took the money, looked it over in the moonlight and stashed it in his pocket.

"Welcome to the Rock, Boys." At this he winked my way. I felt flattered, but I could instantly feel the rage surge through Ondre. "Try to keep the feedings to a minimum and for Lilith's sake if you kill one TELL SOMEONE! Now go, get out'me fucking face." While he was speaking to us, he had marked our hands with a silver sharpie. He slipped the marker in his pants and shooed us past him.

It wasn't until we got into the mouth of the cave Ondre spoke.

"You did good back there." He said, and grabbed my waist. Our hips bashed together and settled alongside the other.

"Thanks." I said and slipped my hand into his pants pocket on the opposite side, my arm lying across his back.

"These leggings are really fucking sexy." He said, and I restrained a laugh.

"They are." I responded, and touched his leg with my boot with my next step. He was quiet, but I heard him shuffling around in his long trench coat. A moment later he had a plump cigar wrapper to his lips, and fire burning the tip. "Fuck yeah..." I said and took it from his lips and hurried ahead of him. He scoffed and in a second had me pinned against the rock wall, the wrap now in his mouth. He held it with one hand, the other around my neck.

"Get ready, just one hit. I don't want to outrun a cave-in." He loosened his hand around my neck and took in a massive breath, inhaling the entire cigar. He held in it for a moment, then let me go and leaned into me, exhaling a massive stream of smoke between our lips. It shook me to my toes, I gasped before exhaling it in a fit of coughing and spitting.

"Rookie." Ondre said standing over me, rubbing the roach along the walls. He dropped it and stomped it out.

* * *

The tunnel went far down into the stone, and widened as we reached the last gate into the club. I was blind. The walls shook and danced to the music blasting through the stone. I held on to Ondre for dear life and tried to 'keep my shit together', as Ondre put it. The gate before us was nothing but link-fence covered with a dusty black tarp.

From the breaks of metal, plastic, and rock multicolored lights beamed through the cavern. Tiny spots of light could be seen flickering across the walls; a mirror ball. The man standing at the gate was nearly as tall as Ondre, but wholly and totally unremarkable. He looked us over, Ondre's hand over my shoulder, holding me against his side with my hand resting on his hip. I didn't care, and he gave no notion of what he thought, but I doubt we'd have been more obvious if we were covered in glitter and spray-tan.

He looked at our hands, and upon seeing the marks nodded us on. He kicked open the doors and they rattled alive, spreading apart revealing a vampire's wet dream.


	17. Oral Fixation

I found myself being pulled into old ways, old ways of thinking. Surrounded by sweaty, drunk humans the predator within began to claw his way towards the surface.

The grand chamber opened up and revealed a high domed ceiling. All around the edges of the walls were booths made of metal pipes with leather straps spun around them. Large sheets of polished metal propped up on rods served as tables, light bulbs strung across the wall gave each table a slight shimmer. The dance floor was an ingenious design. Scaffolding that once served to hold working men along the rock walls now was two-tier dance platform.

"Wow..." I breathed, and then snickered, feeling Mary Jane's influence all over me.

Directly ahead of us was the bottom tier of the dance floor. Vampires and humans twisted together, squirming to the beat of insane industrial music. Ondre and I stood at the gate for a moment and took our surroundings in. Even though everyone wore different clothes, the look was the same, no matter the species. There were tight dresses, open shirts, short skirts all in the darkest of colors.

"You fit in perfectly." Ondre said and squeezed my rear, nibbling at my neck. I giggled and bumped him with my hip.

"Thank you." I then stood up and grabbed at his hands and pulled him into the scene.

* * *

Ondre and I had made our way to the top floor of the dancing platforms; we faced each other while we danced. Our fingers twisted around our lover's. I could feel the geekish smile on my face but I didn't care.

"This is nice." I said and locked my hands behind his head, pushing my pelvis into him. He grinned and laid his hand at the base of my spine, the tails of the leather vest I wore laying over his skin.

"I suppose. See something you like?" His eyes glanced over the faces around us. That one hasn't been able to take his eyes off you since we walked in." He whispered in my ear.

"Aren't we here to investigate?" I asked, but felt the urge to look over at the human Ondre pointed out.

"I don't see Mira anywhere. Do you?" His eyebrow lifted up, and a smirk shifted the features of his face.

"I didn't see her anywhere." I finally said. We weren't getting much work done, other than simple observational research, but I suppose that was enough for the first night.

"So...which one's been watching us?" I asked him, turning my back into his chest without missing a step.

"That one, the blonde. I think they call that a 'faux-hawk'." He said and nodded his head towards the man. He was a shorter man, I'd say 5'10" with a very handsome face. It was boyish but rugged. "And it's not us, he's watching you." At this Ondre disappeared in a blur of vampiric speed shooting down the scaffolding. The man's expression changed, and showed obvious interest.

I looked over his sweaty, golden flesh and could contain myself no longer. I looked right into his eyes and drew him towards me. Within seconds he was grinding his hips against mine.

"What's your name?" He asked, turning his head to face me.

"Does it matter?" I responded and touched his side, exposed by the open jacket he wore and pulled on him. His flesh was on fire, burning with life.

"Guess not." He said, his breath touched with alcohol. Rum, from what I could smell. "And that big guy you're with?"

"A friend." The human laughed as I pulled my hand down his stomach.

"I want a friend like that." I laughed and gripped at his waistband.

"I'm all the friend you need tonight." I hissed in his ear and kissed his neck. He gasped when my icy lips touched his warm skin. His body tensed at my touch and he pushed back on my pelvis. I could feel the firm flesh of his ass against me.

"You know a more private place we can finish this?" He took in a quick breath and giggled over himself.

"Come with me." He squirmed against my front and then took my hand and led me off the scaffolding. He took me down the stairs and down a large tunnel. The lights grew dimmer and within seconds the smell of blood overtook the other scents in the air. There were whimpers, groans, and muffled cries of humans as vampires tore at their flesh.

It was dark, too dark for a human, but I could see perfectly. I grabbed the man and ran into the side of the tunnel, pinning him to the wall. He gasped again and grabbed my waist.

I kissed his soft, warm neck, trailing my tongue across his clavicle. I grabbed him by his jaw and pushed his head to the side, revealing a pounding artery waiting to be punctured. He moaned and bucked me with his hips. I kissed him again, gliding my fangs across his neck.

"Bite me..." He begged and kicked a leg around me. After that display I couldn't fight it any longer. He wanted to bleed for me, he wanted it so hard it jabbed me in the gut. I wrapped my lips around his neck, his artery jumped into my mouth I sank my teeth into the soft, thin flesh of this human. His blood welled in the wounds and poured past my fangs and down my throat.

It was warm and fresh. He was a non-smoker, never touched one in his young life. He was a vegan, and his blood was full of life and sunlight. As I drank from him he relaxed in my grip, his hard cock softened and he sank into the wall. His heart raced and he took a gaspy breath in and whimpered.

He groaned, and at that I stopped. In the dark, I touched my finger to my fang and pierced my immortal flesh. A drop of vampiric blood seeped out of the wound and pooled in a tiny drop on my fingertip. I stared at the drop for a second then rubbed it into the holes in his neck. They sealed instantly, and the boy looked up at me.

"Thanks, Boots." He stood up away from the wall and kissed me, looping his fingers in my shorts. "Next time I suck you." He lingered for a moment then walked down the tunnel back to the roaring party.

"That looked fun." Ondre said kissing my neck. "How was he?"

"How do you think?" Ondre's hand reached around my waist and grabbed at my bulging crotch.

"Ah...That good, hm?" I fell into him and giggled, finally breaking character.

"He asked about you."

"Yes, I heard, my dearest of friends." He drew it out, making fun of me. It was cute, and I shrugged, looking away momentarily.

"You find out anything? Has anyone seen Mira?"

"Bartender says she looked familiar, he'll be keeping an eye open for us." Ondre had his methods for swaying others to his cause. Whether it was through money, which no matter the era he seemed to have endless supplies of, his astounding good looks, or through the use of his perfect battle-hardened body, he never had trouble making friends. He smelled no different, and I assumed he paid the man off.

"That's helpful..." I said, my thoughts drifting to this newest contact's credibility and trustworthiness. "Can he be trusted?"

"I suppose so. I'm not too worried, so you shouldn't be either." Perhaps it was the smoke wafting through my mind, or the fresh blood soaking into my body but I did as he asked without resistance.

"What time is it?" I asked adjusting my clothing.

"Excuse me-" A woman's soft voice broke through the relatively quiet moment. "Did I hear you're looking for Mira?" The woman stepped closer and I saw her. She was not her, her humanity was obvious. Ondre leapt on the woman and held her to the rock wall.

"Who the FUCK are you?" He shouted at her. Vampires along both sides of the wall stopped feeding and took in the scene; he turned and hiss, sending them back to their meals.

"I'm sorry!" She shouted. "I just overheard. She was here two days ago; she stayed a while, bit me, and left. Please, don't hurt me!" She pleaded. Ondre scoffed, retracted his fangs and while holding her to the wall took out his wallet and handed the woman fresh, unwrinkled $100 bill.

"Go. Get out of here before I eat you." He growled before dropping her. She shrieked as she hit the ground, dust plumed up on her clothes and she reached for the money as she patted herself down. The woman took off, with a final terrified look back at Ondre, who did nothing but stare back.

Ondre looked at me, then quickly shifted his eyes over the room and motioned towards the dance floor. At this we took off down the tunnel, walking a steady calm pace. Once we got past the crowd we took off down the main tunnel running at vampire speed. We blew past the spot I fell into the wall and hacked my lungs up and out into the night sky.

"Thanks for visiting the Rock!" Called out the Scottish vampire as we shot into the forest.

* * *

"We know she's in the area." Ondre said jotting notes down on his phone. He ran the stylist across the glowing screen as we stood at the base of a great oak tree.

"Does that really help? She said that was two days ago. She could be anywhere now. With travel what it is she could be in fucking Africa for all we know."

"I doubt that."

"And why is that?"

"Have you ever been to Africa?" I told him I hadn't, and it surprised me the way he said it sounded like he had. "It's shit. She's not in Africa."

"Okay then." I shook my head.

"Well, be reasonable. Would you leave something like that? It's practically an all-night buffet." He had a point. I loved it in the mountain, it reminded me of everything I loved about nightclubs; the attention, the blood, the bodies.

"When do you think she could be coming back?"

"No idea. We'll just have to wait her out." I didn't like this plan, it was much too easy. Although, decades of hunting with Ondre taught me that sometimes the best approach is to let your prey come to you.

"Well, I suppose it's the best we can do for now..." I conceded. I had my doubts, but did my best to keep them hidden. It was a futile effort, Ondre knew me too well and soon asked what I was thinking. "I just feel like we could be doing more."

"We've done just enough. For all anybody knows, Mira's a dear old friend of ours. And if you're concerned about us showing up here night after night, tell me this." At this he paused for a brief second, and then focused his eyes on me. "How many people, human, vampire, or otherwise did you serve night after night when you worked for Jacqueline?" He grinned with satisfaction after beating me down. I stood silent, knowing he was right. For some reason, it seemed he was always right.

"You worry too much. A century or two and you should lose that." I scoffed at him, and shook my head again. When I caught his eyes again they were bright, and I saw he wore a thin smile with a sliver of his glistening teeth. I felt his hand grab mine and he ran his thumb over the back of my hand. His smiled widened and he raised my hand to his mouth, and touched his lips to the spot he caressed.

"Come on, let's go home, Boots." His smile streaked across his face and he bolted further into the forest.

"Asshole!" I yelled and took off after him.

* * *

"So I'm an asshole?" Ondre said pinning me to the wall of the elevator, my jacket falling from my hand to the floor.

"You are." I bucked against him; he resisted and only pressed his pelvis against my ass, totally restraining me.

"Big words from a man in a vest." I could hear the smile in his words and his lips touched my ear. "Want me to take it off?" His grip relaxed, but the pressure from behind only grew. He kissed my neck and left me dazed. I grunted, and he knew what I meant. I felt the soft leather slip over my shoulders and up my back. He pulled it off my head and left my hair a jagged mess.

Ondre exhaled on the back of my neck, touching the base of my skull with his lips.

"And these?" His hands grabbed the waistband of my shorts and he tugged at them, rocking me slightly from side to side. At the same time he wiggled his own, and caused his bulging erection to rub against me. I nodded and relaxed my chest into the wall, pushing back against him as he pulled them down off my hips. They slid down my legs and hit my boots with a soft thud. I kicked them off and stood up leaning into him.

I slipped my finger under the collar he wore to the club and bit his lip.

"Give it to me..." I exhaled and pulled on him, we kissed just as the elevator doors split. His arms wrapped around my waist and his fingers spread out on my abdomen.

"I'm going to take it." He hissed into my ears, and spun me around. He held my hand and we ran into the front room. In a second we were on the white leather sofa, he beside me with one knee thrown over my hips. He lowered himself down on me until my cock pressed against his.

"Let him out. Or let me." I gave him no time to react. Grabbing his legs I ran into him, pushing him over. He hit the sofa with a look of shock that instantly exploded into lust. I hovered over him, holding myself up on my hands and knees. I slid down his body, kissing at his chest as I moved. He moved beneath me and pulled his arms out of his coat; he touched my face with one hand and laid the other on my neck.

His thumb touched my cheek, sweeping beneath my eye then circling back and tracing my bottom lip. As it passed over my face I inhaled every particle of his luscious, vibrant, earthy scent. I took a breath in and felt his thumb slip into my mouth. It grazed my teeth and rested on my tongue. Automatically, my tongue curled up around the sides of his finger and began to glide under it.

Ondre's eyes shut for a second and he relaxed under me. "You're good at that..." He said opening his eyes and removing his finger. In the same motion he pushed up against me, and I quivered. "Do that there." He said and pushed at my head, shoving it into his stomach above the waist of his pants.

I shook his hand off and in an act of spite grabbed his crotch. "Here?" I asked him, squeezing at the organs there. He winced and bucked against me.

"Right there." He smiled roguishly and slid his tongue down his fang. I gave a nod and kissed at his tight, flat stomach, lapping at his belly-button with my tongue. I flicked it past the tiny opening in his skin and slid it down the trail of hair leading to his waistband. His cock pushed against his pants, nearly tearing them away from his body. I rested my head here next to it and touched its base with my hand.

He flexed it in my hand; it pulsed and throbbed, pushing further against his pants. Overcome with jovial lust I touched it to my lips. They opened up and laid on the underside of his shaft, just below his swollen head. He let out a light breath and I felt his hips sink into the plush sofa. I rocked my head back and forth over his cock and pulled down at his waistband.

They gave immediately and his cock burst out of them and pushed the pants further. A drop of deep red pre-cum was beading out of the tip. It collected in the shallow groove of his opening and then slid back, running down the top of his shaft. I watched it, mesmerized for a second before I wrapped my lips around his thick rod and took it onto my tongue. It was sweet, sticking to my teeth and coating my mouth.

I held him to the side and moved my mouth up and down his engorged shaft. I glided over the entire length before settling at the tip and taking it past my lips. He slipped in and I was careful to hold my lips over my teeth. My tongue met him and flicked over his tip. At this he jerked again, it jumped in my hand and let loose another droplet. It rolled down the head and pooled on my tongue.

Ondre sighed out of pleasure, his eyes were shut and he held a hand over his head, the other rested on his marble chest. This gave me a feeling of satisfaction I felt only when Ondre laid with me, lost in the sensations of my body on his.

We went like this for a time, his cock snaking in and out of my mouth. I took him to the base, his cock pushing past the muscles in the back of my throat. Years ago, when I first attempted this I nearly choked, but now I was able to hold it in my throat and lap at its base with my tongue. His breathing had quickened, and his head rocked about on the arm of the sofa. His mouth hung open and he lazily opened his eyes. With this I pulled him out of my mouth and kissed at it. I could feel the saliva running down my chin and it dripped on to his ridged scrotum.

"Take them off..." He said quietly, touching his pants. Together we slid them down his legs and off of his feet. His legs kicked out under me and I fell into the space between them. I smiled and kissed at the freshly exposed flesh. His inner thighs received the most attention, and I buried my face between them and his fat, fleshy cock. I held my feet up, locked at the ankle the spikes of my boots waved in the air.

"That's so sexy." He said. "You're legs, in those stockings." At this he leaned forward, slapping the meat of my ass with his open palm. He grabbed it and squeezed before falling back. His hand dragged along my back, his nails leaving tiny red streaks in my skin. When he reached my neck he touched his fingers to my face and left them around my eye.

"I love you." I said looking into his glowing green eyes. His lips turned up in a smile and his head cocked slightly to the side.

"Je t'aime." He spoke in his most adoring French. It made me laugh from a surge of joy. His hand cradled my face, and then he leaned forward and pulled me up on him. In the same second he stood us up and held me close to him. "Allez-vien." He said sweetly and pulled me down the hall towards our bedroom.

* * *

It was quiet in our underground fortress, and only the ventilation hummed in the background. The clock on the wall revealed it was well past five in the morning. Ondre and I were lying together on our incredible bed, the sheets were pulled up over our chests I rested my head on his chest. Our legs were tangled together and our breathing had synched. I kissed his chest feeling the intimacy between us.

"Thank you." Ondre said after a silence.

"For what?" I responded, but another silence followed. From what I knew about him, he was about to do something very unlike himself.

"For accepting me into your life again." He finally was able to say. This struck me directly in the heart. I suffered for decades after he took off on me. It's my most painful of memories, and a time I wish I had not endured.

I sighed, and kissed his breastbone. My words failed me, and I grabbed his hand. Our fingers spun around each other and if it was possible, pulled the other closer.

"I love you." Was all I could muster, but it was enough as a stillness wafted over our bed and we slept.


	18. A Handsome Hallucination

"Leon. Leon, wake up." His soft words broke my sleep. I opened my eyes to see Ondre looking down at me. He was sitting up on our massive bed, his hair a total mess.

"Hello there." I said. He touched my shoulder and smiled before leaning over and kissing me; once on the forehead, and again on the lips. This gave my spine a shudder, and a smile turned up the corners of my mouth.

"You're so beautiful." He spoke quietly and kissed me again. This time his lips lingered on mine, and with another kiss his arm landed on my shoulder. He moved down the bed, the silken sheets gliding over his back as he moved closer to me. His lips were touching my cheek and moving down my chin when I felt his hips slide until they met mine.

Our bodies inched closer until they met, our legs wove together and we began to move against the other. We kissed once more and his mouth moved rapidly down my neck. His fangs skimmed across my neck for a second as his mouth rolled over it. It was exciting, feeling his teeth on my naked flesh.

As sexual as they were, there was a tenderness in each of his actions. When he touched my neck, he did so with his fingertips, not his hand. He rolled over on top of me, not with the explosive movements of a vampire, but with the slow and delicate touches of a lover. His hand snaked down my stomach and slipped between my legs.

"This morning-!" I gasped out. Ondre's head dipped toward me and his hand slowed, but didn't stop. "I couldn't tell you what I feel." Ondre kissed my cheek and my lips as I drew my next breath. "I just need to tell you that I love you-" At this his hand stopped and I was able to focus. "I love you, Ondre. And I'm yours as long as you'll have me." He exhaled and fell to my chest, rubbing his nose across my breastplate.

"Come." He said after he pushed off of me. He pulled me up on the bed and I sat on my knees. Standing on his, he drew his fangs and brought his arm to his mouth. He opened his mouth and in a swift motion bit into the underside of his forearm. We never broke eye contact and as he tore himself open I knew to come forward.

"For you." He presented his arm to me and motioned me closer. I held his bleeding arm up to my face and without hesitation I touched my lips to the torn flesh and sunk my teeth into him. I felt his muscles tense as I entered him and in the same instant I felt the sting of his fangs on my neck. We drank for no more than a second, and then we pulled away and came together. Our faces met and we kissed, sharing our spilled blood.

I held his head in my hands and his arms lay over my hips. He pulled them tight and swung me off of the bed. "You need a shower; I can still smell that clubber on you." He unwrapped me and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

Although normally considered nest behavior, the sharing of blood is a ritualistic experience. A single exchange causes no permanent change in a vampire's personality, however nests contain several members and sharing is quite common. It is a symbolic act of union and solidarity allowing the bond between two vampires to strengthen and flourish. Their blood becomes part of you, and you become a part of them; A powerful sentiment to immortals.

"I feel you inside of me. I can hear you." I said leaning into Ondre's chest.

"What am I saying?" He swayed under the stream of water with me. I laughed and touched my head to his neck. "What? Tell me." He commanded in a soft, friendly tone.

"Well..." I began, then giggled to myself and continued. "You keep saying how much you want to fuck me."

"Sounds like me." He ran his hands along my sides and up to my chest.

"That's what I was thinking." We stood together in a gentle embrace under the steaming water. It went on like this for a time until Ondre decided it was time to 'be productive' and took off to write up a report of last night. He left me in the shower, and after a few minutes I had had enough and got out.

I wrapped the enormous crimson towel around my waist after dabbing my hair and walked to the mirror. The vampire before me was thin, with long and lean appendages. His chest was rounded and full while being small and curvaceous. The bones of his hips protruded a bit, just enough to be noticed. I stared for a moment, looking over the changes Ondre's ancient blood had caused in me. They were subtle, but everywhere.

My muscles were toned; bulging from my flesh more than before. My hair almost glittered in the light, shining with vitality and health. Though still ghastly white, my skin was less so, and seemed more flawless than it had ever before. I got in close and saw my eyes were alive with dramatic browns and dazzling golds.

"Wow." I leaned in closer placing my hand on the wall-sized sheet of glass.

"You alright?" Ondre said from the doorway. I looked over at him; his underwear was higher than his pants and peeked out over the waist band.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I turned back to the mirror. "Come here, look at my eyes." I leaned in closer and stared into my own eyes. A dark, bestial brown rimmed the outsides of the iris and streaked towards the pupil in fading bands. The center of the iris was rimmed in gold and burst out from the pupil spreading like a bursting star.

"Are you coming?" I said, turning back to look at Ondre. Only, he wasn't there. "Ondre?" I called out.

"Yes?" He yelled back from deep in the sanctuary. I was silent, surprised by my hallucination.

"Nevermind." I said quietly, knowing he would be able to hear me. I shook off the moment and walked to the bedroom. There I kicked off the towel and played with my hair as I continued into the closet.

I found a black shirt with a burning-flame design on the fabric, starting at the hem and flickering below the breastbone. I buttoned it half-way up and moved to the large wooden dresser, took out a dull black pair of trunks, and put them on. After toying with my hair I took off for the kitchen to warm myself a TruBlood.

It was just now, as I reached the end of the hall that I heard the soft rumble of the dryer. Ondre remember our bedspread. I shook my head, disappointed in myself, but resigned that if it was clean and dry I should be happy. The kitchen was on the other side of the fortress, but I got there in little time. I grabbed a bottle of B+ TruBlood, popped the lid, and stuck it in the microwave.

I leaned back against the large, stainless steel refrigerator and waited for the bottle to warm. I kicked one leg over the other and sighed. The gentle hum of the machine was almost soothing, and the time passed with little notice.

"Ah, B+, your favorite." Ondre said as he walked towards me from the opening between the bar and the wall. He appeared the same as he had in my last hallucination. I hesitated and then called to him.

"Ondre?" I asked.

He continued his march around the kitchen and opened the microwave, removing the bottle he turned it up and took a sip. "Yep, still tastes like shit." He twisted his features in exaggerated disgust.

"Come on, you know you want one." I teased, and turned to take one for him. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed him a bottle. Turning back around I saw I was alone in the kitchen, the microwave shut, my TruBlood locked away within.

"What the fuck?" I said quietly. With this I grabbed my bottle and took off for Ondre in the computer room.

* * *

The room was quiet, only one screen was illuminated and Ondre worked behind it typing up a report of our night at the Rock. I stood in the doorway and watched him for a moment before he spoke to me.

"Everything alright?" He said looking up to one of the blank screens, catching me in the reflection.

"Ouias." I shrugged him off and sat on the edge of the large metallic table in the center of the large room.

"What is it?" He stopped typing and turned to face me.

"It's nothing, I'm sure." I began. "But...I keep seeing you...when you're not there." I stammered, feeling a rush of panic shoot into my throat. Ondre stared for a moment, and then drew his mouth up in a smile. He turned around, leaned in, and kissed my forehead.

"It's my blood. It's the first time you've had any real amount in what...50 years? Something like that..." He said and turned back around to his work.

"Huh..." It made sense; the sharing of blood was a powerful experience.

"Did you have hallucinations when you had some of mine a couple weeks ago?" A few weeks; that was all it had been since he came into my life. That was all it took to bind us together again.

He nodded, and grunted a 'Mm-hmm," while continuing to type. "You'll be alright, my Love." He looked up and smiled. "I'll be done in a bit, would you like to go out?" I took a drink of my TruBlood and stood from the table. "Sure, let me change." I drank another swallow and put it down on the table.

"You're changing? What's wrong with that shirt?"

"Nothing, but I need a going out shirt."

"A going out shirt?" He mocked.

"Yes." I touched his waist with my hand and walked out of the room. Ondre shook his head with a joyful smile on his face.

* * *

I wore a pair of sleek pair of black skin-tight pants with the jacket Annabelle had given me; it was one of my favorite pieces. Under it I wore a shredded tank-style tee.

"Very trashy." Ondre said stepping behind me. He shook my shoulders and kissed the side of my face.

"Really?" I shook him off.

"Quite." He retorted. I looked over at him as I sat on the platform under our bed. He was smiling; the smile he wore when making fun of me.

I leaned over and grabbed my boots. They were solid black, a smooth velvet wrapping the angular base and spanning the toes and ankle where they came to a level end. The shoes were covered in chains of silvery metal, each a different size a style and decorated in tiny metal crosses, crescents, daggers, and hearts. After slipping into them I knew they were to become another of my favorites, and I made a note to thank Annabelle for them.

"Well..." Ondre said from the other side of the room. I stared at him, and crossed my legs. "You don't look all bad." He said playfully.

"Boots save it?" I asked standing.

"Boots definitely save it." He stood and came towards me. His dark jeans and heavy, military-style, trench coat gave him a very powerful, dominating silhouette. As he came closer I reached out and slipped my hand through the folds of his coat, laying my palm on the warm, firm flesh of his abdomen.

"Mmm-" I said plucking at the ridges in his stomach. "Shirtless? Nice touch..." I said pulling my hand away from him.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked grabbing my hand. His voice nearly poetic. "It feels Soo-" He dragged the word out on his breath, slipping from his mouth like a gust under a door. "-OOoo good." He pulled me against him and touched his lips to my neck. I shut my eyes in the rush of the moment, opening them revealing a different scene than I experienced. Ondre was before me, my hand was on his stomach, but he wore a look of confusion, not lust. My hand fell in an act of humiliation.

"Your blood's talking to me." He huffed a laugh and stepped back.

"I wanna fuck, right?" I shook my head, but there was no denial in it. Ondre began to laugh, and I couldn't help myself but to join. Ondre is no one but Ondre, down to his blood.

We left the sanctuary soon after and entered the night. The sky was clouded, thick with moisture. I could smell rain in the air and instantly I regretted my choice of shoe.

"I swear, if it rains-"

"-When it rains, my Love. Can't you smell it?" Ondre took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. "It's close too."

"Yeah, I know." I said dejectedly. "I'd rather not drown." I said this knowing it would be impossible to drown, but waiting a rainstorm out in a coal mine wasn't my idea of fun.

"Well, there's always the graveyard." Ondre turned, looking sly. "The mausoleum. It should be dry, and with the incoming rain it should be packed with vampires."

"Mira could be there." I said agreeing. "It'd be worth a look." I shrugged. Ondre removed his phone and took a look at the screen before flashing it my way.

"There it is. Let's go." He said slipping the glowing phone back into his coat pocket. With this he touched my hand and ran off into the night. As I ran behind him a light misty rain began to hang in the air.

We ran deep into the thick forest, great green trees with browning leaves shot from the earth into the dark, clouded sky. As we ran, the clouds grew thicker and soon we were running in the rain. The sound of an engine rumbled in the distance and without a second of hesitation we both ran for the road, reaching it in seconds.

Ondre stood in the center, the water beading off of his coat and hat. I, however, found water seeping under my collar and soaking into my shirt.

"Aw, you're all wet!" Ondre said, grabbing my face. "It's so sexy..." He stared at me for the slightest second before pulling our bodies together. We met in a kiss; his arms took off around my body and connected on my back, holding me tight to his body. I inhaled, closing my eyes and opening them immediately, fearing it had been a hallucination, but it wasn't.

The rain streamed down our faces as we moved against each other, his hand gripped a fistful of my ass and pulled me over on his hips. Just then, the humming engine became a roar and it zoomed down the slippery road, barreling towards us.

Ondre looked over his shoulder, then back at me.

"Amateurs." He said, and kissed my forehead. The car was now nearly 20 feet from us, the driver only now seeing us in the road. Ondre and I, in a moment of immortal recklessness leapt at the car releasing each other as we flew through the air. Ondre landed on the hood of the car and ran up the cab stepping down into the bed and jumping off the back, landing flat on his feet. I however, stopped just before the front and planted my hand on the hood; I shot around the cab and landed on the bed. In another jump I shot from the bed and tackled Ondre to the ground.

We landed in a shallow, muddy puddle. Dirty water streamed down our faces, and in the background I could hear the truck come to a screeching halt, swerving and careening down the road.

"We should go." He touched my hips.

"We should." I kissed him and took off down the road, Ondre at my side.

* * *

The road was old, full of cracks and breaks, and flanked on all sides by the great forest. As we ran the rain seemed to move away from us, heading towards the sanctuary. It was a fast moving storm, and would be out of the area within a few hours. The rain clattered down around us, running at vampire speed the water bounced off of our bodies as we rocketed across the pavement.

It wasn't long before we picked up on the scents of humanity. The forest split open on the side of the road, revealing an incredible clearing just beyond the tree-line. Stones of varying sizes stood on all sides of us, spread out from the center where a small chapel stood.

The church was broken, and run-down. The roof was crushed in the center, and shingles had fallen all around the base of the building. Its walls had once been beautiful red brick, but now they were faded, and reminded me of clay. From within, I could hear the steady thump of a base speaker, and focusing I could hear the sounds of intoxication; Laughing, crying, and vomiting.

"Looks interesting..." I said looking down the field to the church. "I thought you said it was a mausoleum?" At this he shrugged.

"Must be in the catacombs. Under the church." It made no matter to me, so I dropped it. "Let's go in." He said and began for the decrepit and now desecrated temple.


	19. In Sickness and in Health

The inside of the church was as bad as the out. At least the top level was.

At the stairs leading down below a man stood before each flight, taking the cover charge. They were cheaper than 'the Rock', and only charged Ondre and me $50 each. It took me no farther than these stairs to see Ondre and I were not the only immortals here. Behind us was a girl with black hair braided together down her back. She greeted Ondre with the brash confidence of a newborn.

"I'll destroy you, Child." He said and turned away from her, taking my hand as I led him down below the earth. The air took on a chill I knew too well. This was a place where death took to life, where the dead rested awaiting salvation. Now death walked, and laughed, and danced where years of honored dead lay. It was a horrible blasphemous action, and one that no doubt made the experience all the more fantastic.

"This is...Well now..." Ondre said as we rounded the narrow stairwell and entered into a large room made entirely of laid stone. At the far end was an incredible wooden bar, rails along the sides resembled the railings on caskets. Several incredibly beautiful immortals operated the lovely polished bar, tossing bottles into the air, spitting fire, and dancing the whole time.

"I want one..." I said, and pressed up against Ondre. I felt his body tense and he scooped me up in his arms and within the same second we were at the bar. He sat me on a stool and stood behind me, one arm lying over my chest.

"What can I get you boys?" The gorgeous redheaded woman said polishing a tall glass.

"Good God, you're beautiful." I exclaimed upon seeing the side of her face.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." She said turning around. Her eyes ran over me and a smile came to the corner of her mouth. "You're pretty cute yourself, love the boots. Now, what can I get you?"

"TruBlood, B+. Straight up." I ordered.

"Coming to ya'." She said and went to work. Ondre kissed at my ear and moved against my back.

"You look like a Nazi." I said, leaning back into him. His body reverberated in laughter and he touched my neck.

"You look like a cross dresser."

"What a pair-" I said kissing his exposed stomach. The woman turned around and caught us. She then shook her head.

"Men." She said playfully and set the tall skinny glass down in front of me. The dark red liquid was poured into it and filled it from its square base to the diamond-like crest. "$55.50" She said looking at me. I hit Ondre with my head and stood to leave, taking my drink with me. He paid the woman and turned to chase after me, tucking his wallet back down inside his coat.

"You're so cute." He said reaching me. I stopped and he bounced into me, only then did I start moving again.

"I know." I said, and lead him down deeper into the catacombs, where the life of the party went on beating like a heart.

* * *

"I hope you know you're working that drink off tonight." Ondre said, following behind me through the slim stone corridors.

"Oh, am I?"

"You are." He touched my neck as we rounded another curve, descending deeper into the ground.

"And what might I have to do to settle this debt?" Here the tunnel opened up and revealed a vast, open room. Along the walls were nooks carved from the rock where bodies would rest. Now, none remained, and in their place were tacky strobe lights and deafening speakers. On all sides of the room groups had splintered off. They stood together, drinks in hand; talking, dancing, and enjoying the night.

That was exactly what I intended on doing.

"Hey!" Ondre pulled me back by my arm.

"Watch the coat." I shook him off and stood in front of him.

"Remember, we're here to work. We need to find Mira."

"I know. I was just going to scope out the dance floor."

"Right, that's what you were doing." He and I stared at each other, gazes unbroken. Then, one of us, I couldn't really say who, cracked. The other followed immediately, and we ended the exchange in a sweet kiss.

"Go, have some fun. I'll catch up later." He hovered, and then crinkled his nose at me and walked off. I took a sip from the skinny straw in my drink and stepped towards the crowd in the center of the room. I hadn't made it deep when I saw the same blonde human I had fed on the previous night. He was dancing against a tall amazon-like goddess of a vampire. I dipped my head at him, he winked my way and kept on moving; as did I.

The energy of the place was odd. It was thick and sickly, but alive and full of sexual desire. I could feel it seeping into my bones and I soon found myself craving Ondre. I pressed on, stopping every few feet to intrude on a dance, never suffering rejection. My drink was now half gone, and I took another sip as I slithered against a beautiful Asian vampire.

Her eyes were tight little almonds, and accentuated her perfect oval face. Her chin was sharp, as was her hair, cut just at the jawbone in a curvaceous bob with a heavy bang.

"You're gorgeous." I said to her.

"Thank you." Her voice was mild, and her words seemed to hang in the air. We danced for a moment; moving and bumping against the other.

"Happy hunting." I said to her and we parted. She shot me a coy smile and in an instant she was swallowed by the crowd. Making my way towards the outside I finished off my drink and set it on an empty stone table.

"Having fun?" Ondre asked, touching my stomach.

"Have you seen all the vampires here tonight? They're gorgeous!"

"There are a few." He rubbed at my side.

"Recognize any of them?"

"No, most of them smell younger than you though."

"Babies." I said, Ondre laughed and kissed my ear. I turned my face towards his chest and drew a breath; Human, male, 23, good diet, plenty of fresh air. "Was he good?" I asked him.

"You taste better." It didn't bother me. Ondre could feed on every man, woman, and immortal in the place, but he'd be climbing into bed with me.

"Good to know." I touched his cheek and turned around, bumping my pelvis against him. "So, any sign of Mira?"

Ondre made a sound and shrugged. "Didn't really look, I couldn't stop thinking of you." He touched my neck and kissed my ear again.

"I couldn't stop thinking of you."

He and I were silent, and we made our way into the crowd on the dance floor. The music was a ghastly and haunting electronic beat, matching the energy of the club perfectly.

"That makes seven." I said to Ondre.

"Seven what?"

"Seven humans who can't stop staring at us."

"Enjoy it. They want us."

"I want you." I whispered softly.

"You'll have me." He grabbed my waist and pulled me up on him, sliding my bottom over the bulge in his pants.

"Careful boy, I don't think we're allowed to do that here."

"I don't care. I know you want it."

"When do I not?" I rocked with him, my hands gripping his thighs, my ass pressed against his cock. He slipped his hand down my waistband and grabbed at my own now throbbing cock.

"Not here." I grabbed his hand and pulled it out of my pants. "Go get me a drink." I kissed his neck and hurried him away, he lingered, confused and more than slightly irritated, but finally he took off for the bar. I felt so odd, losing myself in Ondre like that in public. I looked around me, looking for judgment, or looks of shame, but I found none.

Everyone was doing what I had been doing with Ondre. They were lost in each other; lost in the music, lost in the feeling. I stared into the endless faces of the crowd. The room was spinning, the music pounding into my brain. Something wasn't right. There was a burning in my gut, the sensation I feel after a prolonged absence of blood in my system. There was a thickness in my throat and a dry, painful itch all over my skin. I didn't know what was happening, or what to do for that matter. I stood for a moment, filling with fear and anxiety, then spun around on the floor and grabbed the first thing with a pulse.

"Hello." She said, touching my hip.

"Shut up." I held her close and put my hand over her mouth and lifting her into my arms I ran deep into the catacombs to where the feedings occurred. She mumbled and struggled, I let her for a moment, but before she drew too much attention I drew her gaze and entranced her.

"You're going to shut your mouth and let me feed." The girl was silent and after exposing my fangs I sunk them into the dark flesh of her neck. Her warm, thick blood gushed out of the bite and into my mouth. Instantly I was hit with a wave of nausea I've never felt before. I had only enough time to pull my mouth from her neck before I vomited all I swallowed onto the floor.

It splashed up all over the girl and me, covering my boots. The girl, after a brief second of recovery broke free and ran off as another stream of blood gushed from my mouth to the floor.

"Ah!" I moaned, falling into the wall. I held my stomach and tried not to fall into the puddle beneath me.

"Leon!" Ondre shouted at me. The room we were in had now cleared out; a vomiting vampire is never a comforting sight. Ondre scooped me into his arms and within seconds I felt the cold air of the night embrace my trembling body. "My Love, please, speak to me." Ondre's panicked voice pleaded with me.

I spat a horrible pile of blood on to the ground and held myself up on my knees.

"Fuck-" I groaned and looked up at Ondre. "I feel li-" My stomach cramped, twisted and knotted together. I fell to my knees and groaned, grabbing on to leg of Ondre's pants. "What's wrong with me?" I cramped again, this one more violent than the rest. Thick, crimson vomit shot into my mouth and spilled out over my bottom lip. "Ondre-!" I felt myself go limp in another spasm of nausea.

I expect to land in the soft, overgrown grass, but instead Ondre caught me and held me to his chest.

"Look at me. Look at me, my Love." He shook me and with a hand turned my face towards him. He stared at me, and then spread my eyelids. "Oh no..." His voice was saddened, and fearful. "Oh, no. My Leon." He touched his head to mine and in the same instant we were moving again.

* * *

Ondre sat me on a bench outside of a convenience store. He hurried inside but the line was long, and full of fat, ugly, hairy men. I held myself together, but then felt the now familiar surge and leaned over the metal arm of the bench, spewing blood on to the dirty, dark pavement. My stomach heaved and rocked, flying into my throat, and then plummeting into my bowels.

"Ah-!" I grunted, and held my stomach. The doors beside me swung open and the smells of cheap beer and fried chicken exploded out of the tiny mart. A large, bulbous man stepped out and jumped back seeing me.

"Tha'fuck's wrong wit'chu?!" He shouted at me.

I trembled, but with furious rage lunged at him, my hands crushed the rusted metal arm as I grabbed them to lean over. I hissed, blood streaming down my chin, with fangs bared. I could hear the man's heart skip a beat then fly into survivalist pounding. He dropped the case of glass bottles and ran for his truck. I'd have felt proud of myself; Frightening bigots into a death-panic always cheered me up. But now, as I lay over a peeling wooden bench, in front of some backwoods gas station, I felt little but the incredible boiling fire in my stomach.

I fell over, and caught myself with my hand. On the bloodied ground beneath me was a torn and dirty scrap of a newspaper. My eyes glanced over it; I could see it was a posting about a missing young man. I heaved again and another plume of blood shot on to the ground.

"Oh-" Ondre's words flew around my ears. "Come here." He picked me up in his arms, and I saw him look over his shoulders. The men inside the store stared at us, each wearing a different look of ignorance, hate, and fear. I saw his features harden with anger.

"Leon. We have to get to the Sanctuary. I think...I think you contracted Hep. D."

Hepatitis D; the only human illness capable of affecting the vampire physiology. Ebola, Small-Pox, even the ever-present influenza would do nothing. Cases of it had shot up, into the thousands with the Great Revelation past us. This would be my first time with it, and if there was any sanctuary for my kind it would be my last.

"Can you run?" He asked me just as another cramp sent me to my knees. Ondre picked me up and kissed my forehead. "Hold on, my Love." He said and we were moving once more.

* * *

"42 degrees..." Ondre said removing the thermometer from my mouth. "I'm so sorry, my Love." He laid it down on the bedside table, which like the bed, was made of polished and glazed timber. He sat on the bed beside me, a leg crossed underneath him, the other hanging off the bed. He had changed out of the jeans he wore out and now wore a pair of slate grey sweatpants. He took my coat and helped me out of my blood-stained clothes. My boots were ruined, the blood already distorting the velvet.

He moved to stand, and in a moment of childlike helplessness I reached out to him, pleading with a touch to make him stay. He looked over my pale, sickly body and smiled.

" I'll be right back." He touched my shoulder, gently pushing me down and stood, stepped down the wooden platform suspending the bed, and continued out the room. He walked down the hall and stepped into the laundry room. Instantaneously he appeared less than 10 feet from our door and in another burst of speed and I felt the warm fabric cradle my form.

"Rest, my Love. That's all that can be done."

"I feel like I'm going to explode." I groaned to him.

"I know. I know." He touched my face. "The first few days will be the worst. Hopefully, in a week you'll be able to feed without vomiting."

"How'd-" I began, but was forced into silence by a shooting pain in my lower stomach.

"Shhh, now." Ondre hushed, and wriggled down beside me in the bed. He extended an arm out and moved closer to me, so close I rolled to the side, resting my head on his chest. "Sleep, my Love." He stroked my head, and held me in the small of my back.

The pain was great, but Ondre's soothing and loving support became my only salvation. I awoke several times during the day, each time I did my best not to disturb Ondre, but he stood by my side with each purge. In the brief hours I slept I bled constantly, it got worse, leaking from every hole in my body. I woke once, the soft pillowcase stuck to the side of my face with sticky, sick blood.

* * *

The clock hands pointed out the time; 7:34. I lay on the bed holding my stomach, reeling from the pain in the fetal position.

"Ugh-Uah!" I groaned, my muscles going into a spasm. Ondre's hand patted lightly at my head.

"It'll pass, my Love." He kissed my forehead and continued stroking my hair.

"It hurts so much-" My voice was choked, and full of pain, like my body. There was an intense ache deep in my body, like it was emanating from my bones. My throat felt torn, my neck strained from hours of vomiting. I held a damp towel close to my face, and after the pain ebbed I touched it to my nose, dabbing the spot of dried blood.

"Here." Ondre reached out and gingerly took the rag from my hand, and then began to wipe at the blood smeared on my skin. I heaved, dry this time, and winced in the following pain. "Oh, Leon." He touched the back of my head and held me like this for a time. I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't pull myself to look up at him.

"Would you like to bathe?" He asked, reaching out and taking my hand. I squeezed it, feeling weakness in my fingers.

I nodded, but did nothing more. Ondre rose to leave, and his hand slid out from mine as he jumped off the platform and walked into the bathroom. With his absence the ache became unbearable. I could feel blood pounding behind my eyes, looking to be let loose. In the bathroom I could hear the water pouring from the faucet into the porcelain basin.

After a moment, I forced myself to stand, feeling lightning spark in my joints. I pulled myself off the bed and after pushing the blanket off my shoulders I stood on the cold marble floor and began for the bathroom. Walking ignited my muscles, and before I could feel them I saw blood dripping from my face, and hitting the floor in tiny isolated drops. It was all I could do to drag myself into the bathroom; I saw Ondre bent over the tub, his hand under the steaming water.

With the mirror before me, I took the time to look at myself. My body was sunken, the tone my body knew the night before now vanished. My hair had lost its shine and now hung dry, and full of fly-aways. The worst of it was my skin; I was covered in little purple, red, and black spots. Bruises just under the surface. They were worst around my eyes, which looked like crimson lilies amid a putrid, black lagoon.

Ondre had turned around, and now stared at my body too.

I kept waiting for him to say something; something to lighten the mood, something to make me feel better, something to make it all better. But he was silent. He only rose and made his way for me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and stood there. The moment became too much for me and my crying now became nearly hysterical.

"Shh—No tears." He hummed in my ear. "Let's get clean. The water will make you feel better." With this he pulled me away from the mirror, taking me by the hand and leading me to the steaming bath. He touched my arms and kissed the back of my head, his hands slid down my arms and rested on my hips.

"You're so beautiful. Please don't cry anymore." He kissed me twice more, with the last he lingered in my hair and I felt a tear drop on to my neck and roll down my back. "No tears, my Love. It will pass." He kissed me again, and squeezed me. The way a child would squeeze the face of someone precious to him.

"Don't tell me I have to take care of you now." I joked, my voice gaspy and lithe. Ondre exhaled a laugh on my neck.

"Step in." He said after a quiet moment standing with me. He bumped me with his chest, and for the first time in nearly a day I felt good. Ondre was still Ondre, even as I lay on his chest bleeding. I braced myself on his sturdy body and stepped into the water.

It was warm, incredibly warm. I could feel it penetrating my muscles as I lowered myself down into it. Ondre stood beside the tub holding my hand, ensuring I got in easily. Once that was accomplished he pulled away, but I held on.

"Don't go-" I begged. Ondre smiled and looked down at me.

"I need to get us towels, I'll be right back." He kissed me and with this I let go. He crossed the room and pulled out two enormous crimson red towels, and laid them on the floor beside the tub. He stood to my side and pulled down his pants, revealing his toned, thick, and furry legs, along with his fat, bushy but trimmed cock and scrotum. I stared, and Ondre indulged me. He ran his hand down his long, sculpted torso and grabbed his cock, and then pulled it until his hand came to the tip, there he tugged a few times and slapped it against his stomach.

"You need to start feeling better before I split you open." He stepped behind me and touched my head, stepping into the tub behind me. His legs wrapped around mine and I could feel his now hardening cock touch my back.

"You could do it now." I said, pressing back against him.

"No, I'll only hurt you."

"I don't care." I said and slid back on him, my back coming together with his chest. "Please-please..." I rubbed my body against him, and after a minute his hands fell to the water and landed on my hips. They snaked around my legs and found my cock bobbing in the water. He pulled a loose fist over my shaft and touched his lips to my neck.

Heat began to swell in my belly and between my legs; I bucked against Ondre feeling the head of his cock pressing into my back. His hands groped and pulled on my body with a loving intensity, his movements were strong and masculine, but soft and gentle. He pulled me up on his lap and spread my legs apart with his knees, locking them to the floor of the basin with his feet.

My limbs tingled with pain, my stomach heaved and I rocked back into him. His hands held me close and he kissed the side of my face as I sat frozen in pain. He held me until he felt me relax, then he took my hands in his.

"Better?"

"It feels like I'm rotting..." My voice broke and I laid my head back against Ondre.

"You're not."

"My bones-My skin-even my blood. I can fucking smell it..." I was crying, my chest heaving and falling; each breath causing more pain than the last. The burning in my throat had grown into an inferno, the ache now a constant buzzing pain in my bones.

"You're not rotting. You're sick, that's all." He nuzzled my neck, doing his best to calm me. I wanted to give in and panic, fly into a fit of immortal rage and destroy everything in sight. And Ondre would probably let me, but I couldn't do that to him. I held my tongue and only shook my head, letting my tears fall into the water.

Ondre moved behind me, and shifted in the basin, he ran a rag under the water and touched it the back of my neck, wiping it along my hairline. He washed me like this, cleaning my neck, back, and shoulders.

"Turn around." He touched my shoulder. "Turn around, let me see that pretty face." He touched my chin and after drawing my feet up I spun around, keeping my head down. "Come on." He touched my chin and pulled my head up. I met his eyes, for the first time since last night.

They sparkled and shone with glittering emotion. He smiled.

"There it is." He leaned forward, and pulled me towards him in a gentle, but extended kiss. It was warm, and tender; his lips leaving no impression on mine.

After the kiss he touched the washcloth to my face, dabbing at the streams of dried blood covering my face.

"My brother contracted Hepatitis D. Years ago, before you were ever made, before we split."

"You never told me."

"I never had cause, don't hold it against me?"

"Never." I looked up at him, catching his eye I almost felt normal, until another burst of pain shot through me.

"He didn't get as sick as you are, but he pulled through, and so will you."

We were quiet, and I let him wash me; His hands glided and danced over my body with light, gentle strokes.

"It happened in the last years I spent with Zuriel." Zuriel was Ondre's maker, an ancient vampire who was lost to the world centuries ago. "He told us all he knew of the disease, calling it a curse on our kind by ancient humans."

"So I'm cursed?" I joked. "Great." Ondre's lips curled up in a grin and he kissed my hand.

"No, you're not cursed. Zuriel said that most vampires would feel sick, nauseous, weak, but others would bleed, and suffer incredible pain, while other vampires seem to be totally immune."

"You're immune?"

"I must be. We shared blood hours before you developed symptoms. Don't be mad?" He smiled innocently, his incredible glowing green eyes looking up under his brows.

"Bastard." I said, enjoying the brief absence of pain in my love's care.


	20. Rebellious Revelations

The clock on the wall revealed it was well past midnight, and finally I stopped vomiting, my stomach however burned like Tartarus. Ondre had stepped out to feed, he pushed to stay but I knew he was hungry, I was starving. Ondre helped me dress, finding a simple grey sweater and a pair of warm, boxer-brief underwear. He watched me with the same lust as he had the night before, how he could want anything from this diseased body was beyond me.

Holding a bloody tissue I dabbed at my nose feeling a drop of blood begin to march down my face. I sat up on the bed feeling a buzzing in my head, like it housed an entire colony of bees. My limbs were heavy, and my skin was now covered in fist-sized bruises. I touched one, and flinched from the sharp and sudden pain.

I shut my eyes and tried to escape. I thought of Ondre, instantly.

He had always taken care of me. Over the years he had become everything to me, even in his absence. He was more of a maker to me than my own, who turned me and soon cast me aside. Instead, Ondre made me who I was. He was the most important thing in my eternal night, and it was foolish to think I was anything less to him.

I thought of Ondre's family; his maker and his siblings. I had never met any of them, and Ondre only ever knew two of his siblings. A brother, named Nikolas and a sister named Ayria.

Ayria was the oldest of Zuriel's children; she was his bride, and his favorite. From what Ondre's told me Ayria was a beautiful Celtic woman with hair as wild and brilliant as fire, with eyes the color of ash. She was a beast of destruction, and often exploded in fits of incredible carnage.

Zuriel created Nikolas nearly 200 years after Ondre, who at the time still traveled with him. He was a Siberian man, who Zuriel found worthy of his blood after watching him fight, and lose his life to a pack of wolves. As all newborns are, Nikolas was a bloodthirsty and violent monster. He was his Zuriel's last progeny, and to hear Ondre tell it, he pushed Zuriel into nihilism.

Ondre's maker was one of our greatest. A true ancient; Zuriel saw a hundred kingdoms rise, and a hundred more fall. Zuriel had created hundreds of vampires in his life, becoming one of the first progenitors of our race. Now, vampires who would never know his name carried his blood within them.

Zuriel's skin was dark, and his features were almost primitive. He was short, nearly a foot and half shorter than Ondre, and yet he stood with a presence of total control and absolute power. He was a good maker, Ondre says, but an even better leader; had he not met the sun, he'd stand behind him still.

These thoughts brought me to my maker.

He was a man of English descent by the name of William. He had short brown hair, several shades darker than mine, and a face draped by a fierce set of mutton-chops. As I told Annabelle, he made me and left me; not so suddenly, I should add. We were together for nearly a year. After taking my life he taught me the basics of vampirism; How to feed, where to hide from the sun, the ability to glamour.

The night he released me, I had been sent on my first solo hunt. We were far from my human home of New York, deep in the port cities of New England. My hunt was successful, and I felt a rush unlike any I've felt before. I pinned my prey to the ground and with a hand over their mouth I drank from the underside of the arm. I drank from them, and they squirmed and struggled as I drained their life away.

Once I finished, I stood, seeing my maker to the side. He came forward, and congratulated me, only to touch my neck with a coin of silver, release me, and run off. I couldn't understand it at the time, but he was forced into making me. A sentence passed down from a now dead Magister. I felt nothing for him now, in my eyes Ondre was my maker.

A spasm of pain ripped through my body and I knew my period of grace was gone. Another; this one shot up my spine and tore into my skull. I know I shouted, but the pain in my head was too great and blocked everything else out. It felt like fireworks going off inside my skull, bursting, exploding, and sparking. Burst after burst of pain flooded my brain; it was all I could feel.

All I could feel; All I could think. It erupted all over my body, and all at once became too much to withstand. Then nothing.

* * *

"-What do you mean you haven't told him?!" A woman's voice woke me. It was soft, like it was whispered from many rooms away, but vampire hearing is truly amazing.

"He has no need to know." A man said. "It would only put him in danger."

"It'd only put him in danger if we fail, and I don't plan on failing."

"I'm not the one to be worried-" I recognized this man's voice now, it was Ondre's.

"What do you mean?" The woman said, and Ondre hushed her. "Do not hush me!" She shouted, and I could now clearly pick out who this woman was. It was Annabelle. There was no way she was here, she couldn't be; they must be communicating through a webcam or something.

"He's up."

"Leon!" I heard her call out. "Leon, Darling, how are you feeling?" She burst into the bedroom, looking incredible as always. Her hair was pulled tight to the side of her head, the beautiful shimmering brown locks falling straight and smooth. Her waist was tight and cinched together in a black and red trimmed corset. A pair of skin-like, high-waist, capri-cut black pants and low-cut red booties finished the look off.

"I'm...alive." I said, hearing more misery in my words than I intended. "When did you show up?" I asked, looking past her to Ondre.

"An hour or so ago. Ondre said he found you unconscious when he got back from hunting. He called me, told me the story, and I flew right out." She stepped towards me and sat down on the bed beside me, taking my hand.

"I'm so sorry you're suffering, but we need to talk." She took my hand and smiled, with a look on her face I couldn't quite understand. "Get dressed and meet me in the conference room." She leaned in and kissed the side of my head then stood and left the room. I looked over to Ondre, who was now making his way towards me.

"What does she mean, Ondre?" He looked away from me and sat down on the edge of the bed beside me.

"I've kept things from you. Important things." At this he turned his head to me. In his eyes and on his face I saw a storm of dark emotions. "But please understand, I only kept things from you for your own good." I couldn't respond. It felt like my world was on the verge of shattering, I could feel the change in the air, and it terrified me.

Ondre sat there beside me for a moment, while I tried to find the words to say, but they didn't come, and he stood to leave. His foot touched the marble floor when finally I found my voice.

"Don't! Please...Don't go." I begged, reaching out and grabbing his arm. He rushed back to me and held me to his chest in a soft and warm embrace, my head cradled to his chest. "When you gave me your blood, or said you loved me-" I couldn't finish the thought, but Ondre knew the path my mind had traveled down.

"No! No, my Love. I would die for you, and before this is over with, it may happen."

My heart broke; an icy spear struck me in the chest and impaled me to the wall. My arms froze and ice spread down to my hands, leaving me completely numb.

"We really need to talk, but first you need clothes." Ondre's voice still carried the same weight, and emotion, only he laced it with sugar, how he knew I liked it. With this he pulled me from the bed in a slow and gentle tug.

* * *

The room was as quiet as I'd ever seen it, not a single screen sat illuminated. Annabelle stood before the wall of electronics, leaning back on the desk-size keyboard. She held a tall, skinny wine-glass full of blood. The smell alone was making me sick, but I did my best to be respectful. She noticed instantly and in a single tilt drank the entire glass and set it on the table in front of her.

"So sorry, I haven't eaten all day." I waved my hand dismissively and smiled.

"It's alright." I said. She lowered her head, her lips turning up in the corners. She stared at the floor for a moment, and then looked up at me.

"So, what do you know about Mira?" She asked.

"Nothing, other than what you gave us." She nodded once, and stuck out her bottom lip.

"And, what do you know of Jacqueline?"

This one took me back, and I was flooded with the memories of her dungeon, silver chaining me to the concrete, Jacqueline snapping my arms and breaking my ribs.

"Ugh-"

"Oh Leon, I never intended that to happen to you!" She said stepping forward. I moved back instinctively, she sighed and moved back against the screens.

"I've been working under Jackson Smith for nearly four hundred years and in that time I've watched him turn from a gracious and magnanimous monarch, into a malicious and paranoid recluse. Many years ago, when my maker and I parted ways, I never thought I'd see him again, but to my surprise I did. He had become a part of a rebellion against Jackson Smith, the first rebellion."

"They were nearly successful, targeting his muscle; his enforcers and his sheriffs. I organized a human militia for my King, and within a month the all that remained was the rebel leader, my maker. Jackson had the man brought before his remaining court and presented him in silver as a testament to his power. That night I sat feet from my maker, knowing that when the sun rose in the morning its tyrannical light would burn him to ash."

"I failed my maker, and on that day I swore to avenge him."

It couldn't be true. It couldn't. I looked over my shoulder to Ondre, who avoided my eyes entirely.

"You were the one feeding Jacqueline information! It was you the whole time!" I nearly shouted, feeling dumb-struck by the weight of what I was saying.

"Yes, that was me. Jacqueline was useful, but too unstable to be reliable. Once she turned her eyes on you, Ondre and I made the call to eliminate her."

"Wait-" Overwhelmed, I tried to put the pieces together. "That's why you came here." I said to Ondre.

"No." He immediately corrected me. "I came once I found out you were working for her. I couldn't believe I had found you, I had to be sure. She had gotten incredibly desperate." He smiled my way, and I began to understand what was going on.

"Ondre knew Jackson before I ever came into his life and over the years he's visited us enough to know what I know about our King." She was quiet, pausing for only a moment to catch my attention. "That he needs to die."

"How long have you been playing him?" I asked Ondre.

"We were never as close as Jackson liked to think, but once I knew you were involved, what Jacqueline had planned for you-"

"We had nothing to do with that, please, you must believe me when I say that, Leon." Annabelle spoke up. "Once I learned of your history with Ondre, and his desire to rekindle this now blazing inferno-" She shook her head in a way to lighten the mood and grinned. "Well, let's just say everyone's better off now that Jacqueline's dead. And soon, we'll all be much, much better off."

"Okay. So where does Mira come in on all of this?"

"Ah, yes. I told you Jackson wanted her to be sheriff, correct?" I nodded. "He doesn't, he wants her dead. You two are to hunt her down, chain her, and deliver her to Jackson ready for execution. He believes her to be a part of the rebellion, which she is. Now, what Ondre didn't tell you is we're not doing that. Once you found her, our coup would begin."

"If she's a part of the rebellion, why is she hiding?"

"Because she knows Jackson is on to us. We haven't spoken in quite some time and she's spooked. Honestly, I don't think it could be planned better, she's given us the perfect way to execute our mighty sovereign."

"Once we find her, we bring her in. While they prepare her for her death, we'll be preparing for his. He prefers to kill with his hands, get in close and rip them to shreds. That's when we strike."

"That's when I strike." Ondre said. "I'm the only one older than him, and the only one with the muscle to see this to the end."

Annabelle clearly did not like the truth in Ondre's statement, but I found a comfort in it that somehow made this insanely stupid rebellion sound possible, sensible even. I decided then that if we were all to die, I'd rather spend my life on Ondre's lap than the cold steel table and stood, planting myself on his leg.

"Who gets the crown?" I asked Annabelle. She tilted her head, and I felt Ondre place his hands on my hips. He was gentle, careful not to put too much pressure on the bruises covering my body.

"You can have all them, but I should warn you, they're quite tacky." She joked, evading the point of my question. I laughed, but didn't break my gaze. "I get the title, and the Kingdom. Ondre becomes my Enforcer, and I keep you in flashy cars, shiny underground fortresses, and skin-tight leather pants until the end of your days." I thought about it for a moment, I definitely enjoyed the idea of having these things at my fingertips, but the route to them was much more dangerous than I liked.

"More. I want a title. And gems, lots of them. Big ones. Oh! And my own dance club!" I added, feeling a childish rush of excitement.

Ondre had been quiet for a time, but now he let out a chuckle. Annabelle raised her eyebrow at me and stepped off the keyboard. "So ambitious." She said to Ondre.

"Told you." He kissed my cheek, a great smile beaming on his face.

"Leon, you help me get the throne and I'll see to it that you get your dance club." Annabelle held out her hand before me, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Fuck it." I said, and took her hand. She had a firm handshake, firmer than I expected it instantly shot pain into my arm. "Ah!" I groaned, and Annabelle jumped back away from me.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you okay?" Her eyes were wide with shock and what I thought was concern. I won't say that it surprised me, in this short amount of time I'd grown very fond of Annabelle. Aside from Ondre, she was my only other contact, and soon, with luck, she'd be my Queen.

* * *

"Did I really just do that?" I asked out loud.

"Yes, you did my little rebel." Ondre kissed the back of my head and touched my hip.

"Queen Annabelle...Sounds like a horrible country music group." Ondre leaned on me, touching his head to my shoulder as he laughed at what I thought was a poor joke.

Ondre kissed at my ear and swayed behind me. "You've handled this fairly well." He toyed.

This, for whatever reason, sat with me wrong and in less than the blink of an eye I spun around and connected my fist to his perfectly sharp and angular jaw.

"That's for lying to me!" I shouted as I turned away, grabbing my wrist from the instant crushing pain. Ondre planted to the marble floor on his hand and wiped the blood from his freshly split lip. I tried to shake off the pain in my hand and watched him stand. He got to his feet and adjusted his jaw.

"I never lied to you, Leon."

"You never told me the truth either." I shook my head stepping away from him. "I thought we were equal, that we were together in this."

"We are!" Ondre hissed, and then quickly calmed himself. "I couldn't tell you, if Jackson knew you had any involvement in this he'd have your head on a spike, after he took mine and Annabelle's. If I kept you in the dark there was a chance he would spare you."

"If you're planning on failure why do you attempt it?" I stood in front of him and took his hands, touching them to my face. "If you're going to fail, please, let me fail with you."

Ondre drew a breath, but pulled back whatever was on its way out and pulled me close to him. His fingertips touched my shoulders and spine, bringing me so close to his chest I could smell him. His wonderful, rich, green, earthy scent filled my lungs and numbed the burning within them.

"You're jumping into the snake-pit, my Love." He kissed my forehead and we began to move against each other.

"Won't be my first time up to my fangs in...snakes." I bumped into him, and a deep laugh vibrated in his chest.

"Not tonight, my Love. We have company."

I groaned, half in disappointment, half in agony. I bumped into him again and relaxed against his chest.

"When do you leave?" I asked, knowing he would soon set out with Annabelle, continuing the hunt for her scapegoat.

"Right now, I'm afraid." Annabelle's voice broke through the intimacy of our moment, and I was forced to step away from the intrusion. Ondre stared her down and hunched his back in frustration, he was silent as he walked to the bed and grabbed his coat. He then came back to me and touched his face to mine.

"Get some rest. I'll be back before you know it."

"I love you-" I whispered to him.

"I love you." He said back and leaned in, plating a warm, intense kiss on my lips. "Goodbye, my Love." Ondre breathed as he turned and walked out of the room. Annabelle hovered for the briefest of moments, then excused herself and left. I listened to them enter the elevator and rise to the surface, the sound growing quieter and softer as the cab moved farther away until I was deafened by the silence I found myself in.


	21. Anticipating an Assassination

The clock told me how long I had been out. It was now only eight in the evening, after my black-out I stayed out for nearly a day. That was startling, terrifying even. I stared at the clock for a long time, trying to put together what transpired only an hour earlier.

Annabelle had been planning the death of Jackson Smith, Vampire King of Virginia, in a misguided attempt at vengeance. I don't know who she had fooled with that story, but it wasn't me. I saw her as the dangerous, ambitious, and power-hungry vampire she was. She frightened me to the core, and I found myself pondering my position in her intricate web of lies and deceit. Ondre was being used, and there was no way he wasn't aware of this. Perhaps he was playing her as well, that sounded like him. But I've known Ondre for most of my immortal life, and he never showed any political ambition. It was too restricting; too much red tape involved in the monarchies.

I couldn't make sense of it, there was something missing. Some bit of information was being held, by someone, and I intended to find out what it was.

I trusted Ondre, quite foolishly, but if love is anything, it's foolish. Annabelle, while friendly and generous, was an untrustworthy vampire if I'd ever seen one. Therefore, her room was the first to be searched. She had taken up in the largest of the smaller guest rooms; it was on the wall of the long straight hallway and had the same open doorway-design as the others. On the bed, which was low to the ground and on a beautiful wrought iron frame, was her large leather luggage; Louis Vuitton laid claim to its remarkable craftsmanship with its signature design and styling.

It was unzipped and in the top of the bag was a tablet computer in a solid black velvet-like protector. I picked it up and laid it on the bed, attempting to unlock it would be futile, and could only expose myself. There were several articles of clothing, packaged in thin, wooden boxes. I flipped one open, it revealed an incredible collection of diamonds and other glistening stones in brilliant settings.

"Ouah la…" I marveled at the beautiful pieces for a second and laid it carefully on the bed. It wasn't long before I exhausted her luggage, and nothing I could gather any information from revealed itself, aside from her tablet, but that was out of the question. I stood over the assortment of clothes and accessories, unable to shake the feeling that I was missing something.

I must have looked at everything in her bag three times, at the least, and finally I yielded. If I was going to find out anything about Annabelle, it wouldn't be from these things. I layered her items back in the bag, replacing them the way she left them. There was a small velvet bag, which when I moved made clanking glass-on-glass sounds. From its disturbance, the ties must have loosened, because as I closed the luggage flap and zipped it shut I looked on the rich, soft bedspread.

There, resting in a tiny glass cylindrical vial, was blood.

* * *

The vial was cold, and made of thick glass. I held it under my nose, and could detect nothing through the cap. Whatever this was, she wanted it kept hidden. With some trepidation I unscrewed the cap and it hit me.

It was like a dream; like magic to the brain. This blood was special. It was like nothing I'd ever encountered. I could smell sunlight in it, flower fields, life. This blood was life, whereas mine was death. I gave it another sniff; it kissed my brain and tickled my eyes. I closed the lid tight and dropped it into my front pocket.

In a blitz of vampiric speed I found the bag, its opening loose and limp. I pulled it out and poured its contents into my hand. A dozen little bottles just like the one I found spilled out into my hand and on the bed. I stared at them for a moment, cataloging every detail I could about them before scurrying them together and replacing them in her luggage.

I had to tell Ondre. I took off for our bedroom and made for my phone. Ondre's number was entered in the recipient window when I came to a stop.

Why? What purpose would this serve? What would I tell him? Sure, Annabelle had some insane blood on her, but that wasn't illegal, not to my knowledge anyway. If I told him like this there's no way I couldn't be sure Annabelle wouldn't see it, it would have to wait; like everything else. I decided instead to hide the vial away and wait for a time when Ondre and I could speak freely, if it ever came.

Suddenly, I became aware of how much power Annabelle held over me. If I spoke of a word of my suspicions with her in earshot, which for a vampire was a considerable distance, I'd be exposing Ondre, and setting us both up for execution. I felt helpless, a feeling I had felt over and over in the weeks since welcoming Ondre back into my life.

I only acted this way with him. He was my protector, my lover, my better, and my equal. He was my savior, in every way one can save another. He brought light to my eternal night, and had become someone who I'd choose death over separation from. He was my everything.

Annabelle knew this, I made no effort to hide it, and neither did Ondre.

I held the tiny bottle of blood, turning it around in my fingers as I contemplated my next move. First, I had to hide this bottle, somewhere she'd not think to look. Seeing as this was the King's sanctuary, finding a place she didn't know about seemed unlikely. Then I remembered the nights Ondre and I lost ourselves in wispy clouds of smoke.

I found Ondre's wooden box; the long, narrow box he kept his marijuana in. We barely put a dent in his supply, but there was plenty of room for the small vial. I dropped it in and put his beautiful little box back in his coat. I lingered in the closet, my fingers running over the soft, rich fabric of his floor-length military-style coat. It was the one he wore with me to the catacombs; the front revealed how rough a night it had been, blood streaked from the waist of the coat and rimmed the base. I touched it, feeling the damage my diseased blood had caused.

I laughed, nearly able to feel his arms around me. I grabbed the sleeve and brought it to my nose, breathing in the faint, earthy remainders of his scent. I missed him; I missed the way we ran with the wind. We lived where we wanted, doing what we pleased. We were free and we were happy. But now, we lived our lives under the thumb of a King, whom we plotted against, with his replacement manipulating us.

I would have to be strong. If Annabelle took the crown, she'd need a way to keep it. With Ondre as her muscle that would be easy, but she'd need something to keep Ondre under her control. Obviously, that would be me.

A heaviness fell on me and my aching began again. I made it to the closet door before the pain took me to my knees. My chest was crushed, my heart tearing open, my ribs splintering and cracking. Then I felt it. Horrible black blood rushed up my throat and spilled out of my mouth. I choked on it, spitting a gruesome tangle of clots to the marble floor. There was a knife in my stomach, it twisted and shoved itself deeper.

"Ugh-Ondre-" I breathed, falling to the floor in agony. I rolled over to my side, clutching my stomach. It split and churned, boiling like a volcano. Another rush of blood up my throat, this one shot from my mouth, splattering on the floor and spreading all over in winding, slithering trails.

"Gah-" I felt the tearing in my stomach, it burnt like silver and sunlight. It was all that existed. My face hit the solid floor, splashing in the grotesque puddle of sick, black blood. It flicked on my eyes and my vision faded as I watched my blood snake across the floor

* * *

"Leon?" I heard Ondre's sweet, loving voice. Then I felt his firm, strong hand slap me across the face several times in rapid succession. It took only a few before I grabbed at his hand.

"Stop hitting me, Asshole." I groaned, feeling an incredible pain in the pit of my stomach. Ondre sat in the nearly dried puddle of blood, holding my head in his lap.

"You had me worried there." He touched my cheek with the knuckle of his first finger. "Last time I found you in a puddle of blood there were more bodies around."

"Just me, this time." I said lightly. He chuckled and flashed his brilliant, gleaming teeth. At this he reached into his pants and pulled something out. He brought his hand to mine and held it, pulling away after a brief moment, leaving a crinkled scrap of paper in my palm. Instantly, he held his first finger to his pursed lips and touched it to them twice. I understood, and hoping this would be my missing link I quickly tucked it into my waistband.

Just then, I heard Annabelle walking down the hallway, her shoes making a distinctive clicking on the marble.

"He's fine, Annabelle." Ondre called out to her, she sped into the room and knelt down in front of me.

"Are you okay?" She said, sounding sincere.

"I'm fine." I grumbled, holding my stomach. She touched my forehead, moving the hair off my sticky skin.

"Oh, Sweetie, you're burning up."

"I'm going to take him outside, get him some fresh air." Ondre said, looking to Annabelle.

"Yes, that's probably best. I'll go prepare a bottle of TruBlood; it should be ready when you get in." She touched me again. "Do you need help standing?" She asked as Ondre repositioned himself. He brought my arms around his neck and stood me up. "Guess not." She joked. "You got him?" She asked.

"I got him." Ondre responded and started us for the hallway. Standing, the puddle of blood was much larger than I imagined. It stretched from the closet to the door, and even streamed under the bed.

"Oh my God, that all came from me?" I asked. Ondre chuckled.

"It's not mine." He responded and helped me to the elevator. Annabelle sent us off to the surface, watching us with predatory eyes, as the doors closed. We were silent during the ride, even as the doors opened to the cold, dark night. I couldn't contain myself any longer and I turned and grabbed Ondre.

"Ondre, she's using you. I know she is." He smiled, and touched the base of my back, laying his hands over the other. "Why are you smiling? She's using you! You're the means to an end!" He moved with me, stepping us out of the shack and into the night.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, my Love. Please, trust me." This sapped the wind from my sails, and I fell against his chest.

"Is she using me against you? Is that what it is?"

"Leon!" He shook his head, and took mine in his hands. "Please, if you love me, you will trust me."

"Bu-" I broke through, but what Ondre did stopped me. He pointed to the ground. I was confused, and after looking around my feet revealed nothing, I remembered the note he slipped me earlier, and I raced to fish it from my waistband.

The paper was crumbled, and harshly torn across the top.

"Trust me" Was scribbled in black felt marker on the paper, in Ondre's hand. I held the paper to my side and looked up at Ondre; my eyes pleading that he tell me more. The look in his told me everything I needed to know.

"I trust you." I finally said. I felt helpless, again. Perhaps that's what happens when you let others decide your life for you.

Our lives went on like this for nearly a week. I suffered alone, while Ondre ran with Annabelle; hunting Mira. Six days passed. Being around Annabelle stopped being a pleasure, and now every time I saw her I felt an uncontainable sense of dread.

Ondre, while still very much Ondre, was quieter. He and I spoke, but with every conversation I found myself nearly unable to hold my panic at bay. He was unbreakable, his perfect face totally untouched by any fear or doubt. His confidence was as comforting as it was disconcerting.

He and Annabelle, regardless of the complexities behind their partnership, worked well together. They produced results, at least. Mira was certainly in the area, and catching wind of Annabelle's plan began to surround herself with newborns. It was a desperate attempt at protection, but they were useless against Ondre, and she was soon defenseless.

I was left in the sanctuary, too sick to prove myself as anything but a liability. During these periods of isolation, I was able to make peace with the decisions I'd made that led me to this position. I had Ondre, and if keeping him meant regicide, I was willing to pay the price. But I had time to think, time to plan, time to observe.

Whatever the blood was that Annabelle brought, she was drinking it. I kept a tab on her supply, checking it each day when she would leave. It seemed to have a profound effect on her, there were times her personality seemed...exaggerated. She would talk with me, completely in control of herself, and in the blink of an eye burst into incredible fits of laughter. And there were times her mood sunk to the other extreme. I recognized this instantly. This was addiction.

The vial I stole from her remained where I hid it, and as far I knew, she knew nothing of it. Neither did Ondre. I'd prefer to keep it that way, that vial could prove more valuable than gold under the right circumstances.

I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the ache in my bones beginning to fade away when the phone to my side when off. The screen displayed a small telephone icon with 'Ondre' in white text underneath it. I answered it and held it to my cheek.

"Hello?"

"Hey there." He said playfully. "Are you dressed?"

"Sadly." I responded, leaning back on the bed.

"Stay that way. We found her, we're coming down now." With that the phone went silent, and while being hung up on irritated me, there were bigger problems I had to contend with. In minutes Ondre, Annabelle, and Mira would be here with me. Soon thereafter we would be on our way to Jackson Smith to deliver him his death. The mechanical 'whirr' of the engine sounded throughout the sanctuary, and I braced myself. I shot up from the bed and darted into the entry room.

The sound grew louder, and then stopped. The doors held shut for a moment, and then pulled apart revealing an interesting sight. Ondre stood in the back, Annabelle in the front, and in-between them, chained in silver, sat Mira.

* * *

Mira was beautiful. Her face was perfectly angelic, like she'd been touched my heaven itself. Ondre shoved his foot in her back and with a single movement sent her sliding across the marble floor. "FUCKING TRAITOR!" She shouted behind her.

"Oh hush." Annabelle stepped out of the elevator; Ondre followed behind her and came across to stand beside me.

"She's using you! Like she used me! You'll be the next to go!" She said to Ondre, her twinkling eyes flashing from him to me.

"Lock her up. I've got a few calls to make." She stepped around Mira and walked back into the elevator. Ondre had Mira over his shoulder before Annabelle left and carried her deeper into our sanctuary.

"Let me go, please. Please! You have to let me go!" She pleaded with Ondre. He continued down the hall unfazed. "We'll kill her together and go our separate ways. You'll never see me again, I swear, just let me go!" She begged him, struggling in spite of the silver around her wrists.

"Ondre, maybe you should let her go." He ignored me, the same way he ignored her. "Ondre!" I shouted.

"What?" He called back to me.

"Maybe we should let her go."

"Can't do that."

"Ondre, she says she'll help us, and we can go. We can leave this bullshit behind us!" Ondre stopped, and dropped Mira on the ground. He turned around and walked towards me.

"This woman will die. And there's nothing we can do to stop that. All we can do now is try to make sure we don't suffer the same fate."

"But Ondre-"

"Leon!" He nearly yelled at me, his voice booming through the air. "She will die, and if you don't pull yourself together so will we." He held my face and forced me to look up at him. "Trust me, please, that's all I ask." He kissed me, and I realized how dangerous my little outburst had been. This woman would die, and nothing I did could change that. Any attempt at it would only put the two of us in jeopardy.

Ondre walked back to Mira and picked her up, walking her into the laundry room where he threw her in and shut the door. I watched him carry her into the makeshift prison, blood streamed from her eyes as she pleaded with me.

"Please, you can't trust her! Please!" She screamed just as the door slammed shut. Ondre shut the door with a grim look on his face. He looked at me; clearly I was struggling to hide my emotions. He was with me in a second, and held me close to him.

"I know. I know." He said, I must have been crying before I was able to stop it. "I promise you, her time is limited." He kissed my forehead and wrapped me in his arms.

Ondre had a plan. He had one all along. And it ended with Annabelle's death.


	22. And the Throne sat Empty

Jackson Smith wanted us at his door by sundown, but that was impossible. Annabelle ordered us to pack everything we wanted to take back with us, even personally helping me stash the wardrobe and closet. It was awkward, on my end at least. She asked me about my behavior; touching me on the arm out of concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked, leaning closer. In truth, I wasn't. I was petrified. As far as I could tell, Jackson would kill Mira, Ondre would kill Jackson, and then kill Annabelle. It was absolutely absurd, and I still couldn't make sense of it.

"I'm fine, promise." I said to her, smiling to smooth over the uneasiness. Within a second, her face twisted into one of shock.

"I'm such an idiot! I'll be right back." She took off out of the room and reappeared in the same second, holding a large gift-wrapped box. I hadn't seen this one when I searched her belongings, and I had to question my sleuthing abilities. "Open it!" She said, giddily handing it my way. I took the package, its wrapping a beautiful shimmering silver and black.

The box itself was heavy, much heavier than I expected and I sat down on the bed to open it. I tore at the end and slid the box out of the paper, which retained its shape as I laid it down beside me. The box was thin carved from a beautiful hunk of dark wood. It was beautiful, but nothing compared to what I was about to pull out of it.

I flipped open the top, revealing a number of smaller, paper boxes. One was larger than the other two, and I took it out first. I looked at Annabelle, who was bouncing on her heels with excitement. She was biting her bottom lip, eyes wide and bright.

"Open it!" She nearly shouted. I laughed, feeling her overbearing energy and flipped the thin box open. Inside it I saw a beautiful black silk-gauze wrapping the true contents. I rolled it out into my hand and unraveled the silk. As I pulled it away I got flashes of gold, and incredible pale pinks of the moonstone.

"Oh my-" I said, taking in a breath of awe. It was a beautiful dragon egg, made from the most perfect moonstone I'd ever seen, gold rimmed each slab of shining stone creating scales on the surface of the egg. "It's incredible!" I breathed, holding my hand to my mouth.

"Open it!" She said again. I looked closer and saw the tiny golden hinges on the back. Slipping my nail between the two halves I split them apart and opened the egg.

I gasped, speechless. An incredible golden dragon with wings spread wide sat perched on a three-finger ring. In its mouth, held in place by a set of fangs that would drive jealousy to the heart of any vampire, was a polished moonstone orb. It was breathtaking. The dragon arched its neck with a divine elegance, with is diamond eyes staring; unyielding.

I carefully plucked the dragon from its perch and slipped my fingers through the inside of the shank. It fit me perfectly, and I held it up to the light hanging in the center of the room. The moonstone caught the light and filtered it into a thousand different shades of pink and white.

"It's beautiful, thank you Annabelle." I rushed her and wrapped her in my arms. This was a wonderful gift, regardless of the circumstances of its existence, which I'm positive were bribery. Annabelle had become my friend, more than likely through her own carefully planned manipulation, but she had been a friend, and this embrace would be our final as friends. I pulled away from her leaving the spot in my heart that had grown for her with her.

I looked at her no differently, but every moment I spent with her from then on would be a test to my abilities of deception, for I began to count the moments until her death.

* * *

We were at the tiny airport Ondre and I touched down at two weeks earlier. The jet sat on the runway; dark as the night sky with wisps and spirals of crimson accenting the lines. Ondre carried Mira over his shoulder, silver chain strapped to her neck, wrists, and ankles. It appeared she had given up her struggle, and unable to accept her fate, wept relentlessly. It was hard seeing her on the wrong end of Ondre's unbreakable resolve, knowing I was as helpless as her.

We boarded the plane, Ondre tossing Mira in the back like luggage. I sat down, crossing my legs and stared at my shoes, a wonderful crystal-studded pair of black and gold pumps. I won't say they were interesting enough to hold my attention, but they were easier to stare at than Mira suffering in the back, or Annabelle reveling in her success at the front. Ondre sat down in the seat beside me and grabbed my hand, kissing the disgusting green spot on the back.

"You're looking better." He leaned closer to me, crossing the armrest.

"Thank you. If it wasn't for these eyes-" I said and lowered my head, looking out under my sunglasses. My eyes were a dark and sickly red; the tiny black spots had progressed into larger, rounder colonies. "-I'd almost pass for normal." I fell back into my chair watching Ondre's handsome face turn up in a smile.

"I love you." He squeezed my hand and stood, leaving me at my seat. I leaned over into the aisle to watch his hips move as he walked away, and when he disappeared behind the curtain into the cockpit, I was forced to readjust myself. I looked behind me, catching Mira's misery-stricken eyes. I stared for a moment, watching a plump bloody tear stream down her ghastly face.

I felt her pain, it was too real. I stared, then lowered my head and settled into my seat. I pulled the phone Jackson had given me from my coat pocket and stuffed the earbuds into their rightful place. I played nothing and only wished to force reality as far from my mind as possible.

We were in the air within moments, Annabelle piloting us towards Virginia. Ondre sat co-pilot, but after takeoff came back to sit with me. He took the miniature speaker from my right ear and stuck it in his. The look on his face as he awaited a beat was priceless, and earned him a kiss. I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped my fingers around his hand.

"Wakarimasu ka?" Can you understand me, he whispered in modern Japanese.

"Of course." I responded. "Can she?"

"No, she's on with Jackson. We haven't long until her paranoia gets the best of her. She's nearly as bad as you." He chuckled under his breath.

"When I'm with you, my paranoia seems more solidly founded than ever." I jabbed.

"And tonight?"

"What about it?"

"Will you trust me? Do you trust me?" He kept his body rigid, but turned his head the slightest bit, just enough for our eyes to meet.

"Eternally." I responded, and lifted myself off his chest. I pulled closer to his lips, my hand resting at the base of his skull. Our lips parted and rolled over each other's, the fire I felt as I watched him walk down the aisle began to flame up once more. I touched his cheek and we kissed again.

"Hello boys." Annabelle's voice shattered our intimate moment; this time would be the last. Ondre and I both had trouble disguising our disgust and irritation, Ondre more so than myself. "We'll be landing within the hour; a motorcade will meet us at the landing strip and drive us to our most beloved King's manor." The way she said the words revealed no compassion or affection for Jackson Smith. "I'm so sorry Leon, I was hoping to keep you clean, but Jackson is insisting you join us for the execution. Just stay close to Ondre, he'll keep you safe." She smiled and shifted her stance, looking over the two of us for perhaps a moment too long before she stepped away.

I squeezed his hand, feeling a frenzied panic swell inside me. Ondre said nothing, neither did I. For to speak what either of us felt would certainly sentence us to death. He held my hand, and rested his head against mine, which lay on his shoulder.

Our silence said it all.

Annabelle knew.

* * *

The rest of the flight was tortuous; Ondre between Annabelle and me like a wall. We landed soon after, as Annabelle said. She carried Mira off this time, greeting the two sleek, featureless, black vehicles. Ondre and I stayed behind on the plane.

"Stay close." He whispered in my ear and stood, helping me to my feet. He walked in front of me as we stepped off the plane, and staying beside him, I helped him carry our luggage to the other car.

"Oh, Ondre." Annabelle stood by the open door of the first car. He looked up at me, anticipating her words. "Why don't you ride with Mira? I'll keep Leon entertained." Ondre's eyes were as wide as mine must have been.

"Scared she'll break free and settle the score?" He said as he turned away from me.

"Afraid I'll—" Ondre's fangs were drawn and he snarled, leaping at Annabelle he pinned her to the side of the car. Annabelle's fangs flashed and she pushed Ondre away, but it was futile. Ondre, with his incredible, ancient strength and speed held her against the car and with the same gloves he used to chain Mira drew a long length of silver from his side pocket. He looped the chain from her wrists to her neck, chaining her immobile.

"Traitor! Fucking lair!" She bucked, kicking with as much force as the silver allowed, which wasn't much.

"Shut your fucking mouth, or I'll stake you right here." Ondre hissed and threw her into the back of the car. She hit her shoulder and flipped over on her side, body shaking in fits of fury. Annabelle had just been made victim in the clutches of an older, stronger predator.

"Ondre! ONDRE! RELEASE ME!" She screamed, her voice cracking and twisting into shrill, furious cries. He shut the door and leaned back on the glass.

"Ondre-?" He looked up, tossing his hair back. It stuck together and fell to the sides of his face.

"Yes?" He pushed off the car and came to my side.

"Ugh-" I couldn't put it to words, and had to take a second before I started again. "Is this part of the plan?"

"Not originally, but I'd meet the sun before I'd leave you alone with her." He touched my face, brushing a lock of hair from my eyes. "Get in the car. The party just started." The firmness to his face I saw on the plane was gone and replaced by an excited and eager smile. He touched me on the side and held my hand as I climbed in, shutting the door and appearing next to me the very same instant.

Then, we were off.

The ride to Jackson's manor proved to not be a ride to Jackson's manor at all. During the drive Ondre seemed more himself than I'd seen him since I started leaking blood. He held me at the waist and leaned back in the soft but solid leather seats.

"You want answers, don't you?" This surprised me, as the weight of his words did not match the way he said them.

"Don't you think I deserve them?"

"Two hours." Ondre touched his lips to my forehead. "Poker face." He said as we took a turn to the left. Looking out through the windows showed us pulling through a chain-link fence, the gate opening before the first car, and closing behind ours.

What Ondre said had nothing to do with cards, we were arriving at an intersection of destinies. Several vampires would die here, but if Ondre and I played our hands right, we'd emerge to feed another night.

Our caravan pulled into a massive, steel-sided warehouse. The windows, while mostly intact, were covered in dust and dirt. The interior was barren; wall-to-wall emptiness. In the center stood the vampire King of Virginia Jackson Smith. He stood alone, barehanded, and looking every bit the tiger in wait. We pulled around him, drawing closer in a sweeping circle.

"I love you." Ondre grabbed me and locked himself to me. Our lips touched, our bodies met, and I felt a smoldering in my chest. It was soft and sharp all at once. It was the way a last kiss should be.

* * *

"Good to see you again Ondre. Leon." Jackson dipped his head, holding his hands in front of him. Annabelle and Mira lay on the concrete floor before him.

"Wonderful to see you, my King." Ondre bowed. I did the same, thanking the King for the dragon on my knuckles.

"You're very welcome." The King's smile faded and his attention turned from us to the women on the ground. "Well, good to see you too Annabelle." He stepped around her. "Never saw yourself here did you?" Jackson drew a breath and steadied himself. Then reached back and struck her skull with a hard fist. Her head spun around, slinging blood across the room.

"Did you think I didn't know?!" His voice broke into a laugh. "I! KNOW! EVERY-" He struck her again. "-FUCKING-" Again, blood poured from her nose and eyes. "-THING!" One more, this time his knee connected to her chin, and she fell to the ground, face crushed.

At this Jackson turned to Mira. He said nothing to her, only grabbed her at the base of her skull. What he did next was the most brutal act I'd ever witnessed in my 120 years of life. With the same callous maliciousness a child rips the wings from a butterfly, and leaves it to suffer, he tore Mira's beautiful head from her shoulders. She screamed; a horrible haunting cry that I will hear until my end.

Her remains fell to the floor, covering Jackson's hands, legs, and shoes. His fangs were exposed, and he hissed through his snarling mouth.

Ondre was at my side, feeling Jackson's bloodlust he was unable to stop himself from protecting me.

"Fucking shame. She was beautiful." He said, wiping his forehead with his bloody hand. A streak of vampiric goo staying behind on his dark flesh. He shook his head, regaining control of the frenzy within.

Annabelle's lifeless body lay on the dusty floor, blood pooling all around her once friendly face. Her fingers twitched and I could see her facial bones reconstructing themselves. Jackson saw this as well, as he knelt down beside her. He grabbed her by the hairs at the base of her skull, holding them tight enough to rip them from her scalp. He lifted her head up and repeatedly slammed it against the floor. Dust plumed up around them, blood dripping from the holes in her face. He destroyed the woman, and I care not to describe it any longer.

Annabelle met her death in the moments after her savage and ruthless beating. Jackson reached into her chest and pulled out her heart. No amount of lying would deny the truth that at her death I felt an empty spot in my heart; restraining myself from tears became all I could do.

Jackson hovered over her remains, his eyes shut, fangs bared. After a moment he rose and removed his phone from his pocket.

"You do good work, my King." Ondre said solemnly. I doubt he held any love for Annabelle, and his reaction was only in response to mine.

Jackson was silent, and touched the screen of his phone. "The money's been wired to your account." He said towards Ondre, and dropped the pocket back in his pocket. It was covered in blood, and left a mess of stringy vampire blood on his coat and shirt. He turned his back and a silence fell over the warehouse.

It was not like the silence that falls on a plan having reached completion, it was the ghastly silence that befalls those caught in the ending of a life. I saw Ondre turn his head, and our eyes met for the briefest of moments. His lips turned up in a smile and he launched himself at Jackson Smith. I watched their battle with the shock and panic of a one whose life lay in the hands of a traitor.

Jackson intercepted Ondre and the two vampires shot into the air. They hit the steel roof and went straight through it, flying into the cold night.

"ONDRE!" I shouted and took off out of the building. Looking up the side I saw them hovering above the roof of the building. Jackson was bleeding, a severe cut across his neck, Ondre's hands drenched in his blood. They squared off, staring the other down, Jackson's face the image of fury as he snarled at Ondre.

"Barbarian bastard!" He shouted and shot through the air at Ondre, his mouth open, aiming for the neck.

Ondre blocked the King's assault and with a ferocious uppercut, he countered. Jackson's head jerked back and his body lurched towards the sky. Ondre's hand caught the King's neck and in a violent, yet elegant spin sent him through the roof. Ondre aimed for the ground and flew through the gash Jackson's body made in the ceiling.

I made it back inside to see Ondre's foot in Jackson's back, the King totally unconscious beneath him. Ondre gave a stretch to his back and drew in a slow, even breath. He twisted his body around and in a savage and unrestrained kick into his skull, painted the walls and floor with Jackson's remains.

"Hello, Love." Ondre's blood-covered body turned towards me. I don't know how it happened, but we were together, arms tight around each other. I buried my head in his, warm, wet, messy chest. "I told you to trust me." He touched my face and our lips met. His were disgusting, but it will go down as one of the greatest kisses of my existence.

Behind us I could hear the hinges on the door I blew through creak. I jerked around; Ondre however must have known we weren't alone, as he didn't react.

"What a fucking mess." The woman said when she approached us. I did not know her personally, but this was Nan Flanagan. She was tall and knobby, with narrow features that gave her incredibly large eyes dominance over her face. "Can't you kill a monarch without killing his entire court?" She stared at Ondre, totally ignoring my presence. "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

Too soon.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she shut me off.

"-Whatever. Who's this?" She asked nodding at the bloodspot that had once been Mira.

"One of Annabelle's scapegoats."

"Hmp." She grunted and stepped over to the spot that had been Jackson. She looked at it for a moment then turned and stepped towards Ondre. "Good work, in any case. We'll be in touch." And at this, Nan continued out of the building and as far as I know, left.

Ondre smiled a childish grin, and shrugged.

"One hour." He said and took my hand.

"One hour." I agreed, and after grabbing our bags, plus Annabelle's we made for the road.

* * *

The hour had passed, and Ondre I were at the home the now dead Jackson Smith, former Vampire King of Virginia, had given to us. Ondre was still covered in the blood of our dead King; it streaked through his hair and stuck to his skin. Once over the threshold I fell into his arms.

It was unlike any other of its kind. I felt free. We were no longer under the thumb of some sadistic monarch, or his equally delusional assistant. We were alone and on our own; we were free, for the moment.

"You smell like death." I said to him, as we pulled away from each other. Ondre chuckled and took off his coat, shirt, and pants, tossing them into a large black garbage bag he retrieved.

"Throw 'em in." He said, shaking the bag at me. I sighed, and undressed. Ondre leaned back on his feet, giving his body an imposing, but lax silhouette. We stared at each other as the clothes came off, and as I dropped the absurd pair of golden pants into the bag, Ondre dropped the bag.

"And my shoes?" I asked, tapping the toe of the gold and black pumps to the wooden floor of our home.

"They can stay." He reached out and pulled me close to him.

"So, when am I getting my answers?"

"After I get my shower."

* * *

Ondre sat across from me at the table in our tiny kitchen. Each of us had a bottle of TruBlood but neither had been touched.

"So, where do I even begin?" I asked him, shaking my head at the daunting task before us.

"Well, I suppose you could start at the beginning."

"Yeah, start there." He laughed at me, and readjusted his sitting position.

"I've been working for the Authority as an Executioner for the past fifty years. I was approached by the woman you saw at the warehouse a few months after I left you, she needed a few exceptionally well equipped vampires to act as...well, vampire assassins."

"So you're an assassin?" Ondre turned his head to me, his lips turning up in a smile that showed his agitation in my interruption.

"Yes, one of the best." He grabbed his TruBlood and took a swallow. "This was my biggest job to date."

"How long had you known Jackson before you were tasked with his...execution?"

"Centuries, but I owed him no loyalty. And besides, no one writes bigger checks than Nan."

"And what loyalties do you owe me?" This question was heavy, even as the words exited my mouth I could feel them hanging in the air.

"I owe you my life." He was quiet a moment, taking a drink of his bottle. To alleviate the anxiety, I did the same. "I owe you my life, because without you it has no meaning." He stared at me, hoping to drive his message home. "I was unsure you'd be by my side at this moment."

"What on earth could keep me from your side?"

"Me." He sighed and cast his eyes away from mine. "That punch you gave me was well deserved, and well thrown, by the way." They flashed my direction at this, then away. "Telling you this during the operation could have cost us both our lives. Please, you must understand my discretion." His hand drew up in a fist, and I reached out for him. His hand moved away at first, then relaxed and he set it in mine. I squeezed his hand the way he did mine in a moment of need.

After a few seconds, his face relaxed and he was able to look at me. He didn't need to apologize, only explain himself. He kept the truth from me for his and my own well-being. Regardless of the circumstances he was protecting me, and he loved me, and that was all that mattered in my eyes.

"Well-" I said after a moment of silence. "Go on. This is getting interesting." Ondre shook off a smile and continued.

"There's not much more to say. I was hired to kill Jackson Smith, through any means necessary. I lead Annabelle to believe I would act on her behalf in her rebellion, and defend her claim to the crown. But her paranoia was beyond any I'd seen before, even worse than her King's. They both knew I would be the death of the other, and I suspect they had suspicions about my involvement in their own. It was all just a game of playing one against the other. For a while, it was fun."

"When did it stop being fun?"

"When you got involved."

"Hm-"

"I mean that once your life hung in the balance, it was no longer fun to tip the scales."

"There you go, talking to me like I'm your everything."

"Ugh, I hate that." He squeezed my arm and pulled me up from the chair. He spun me around the table and held me with his hand in the small of my back.

I won't say this conversation ended on this night, but for this moment, we were done with it.


	23. Ascension

"Winter's coming." Ondre said standing at the base of a broken tree. Its top half lay beside it, splintered wood jutting out from the trunk.

"Any day now..." I said, exhaling a large breath of the cold, brisk air.

"You know what that means-" Ondre reached out and grabbed me by the waist.

"No, I haven't the slightest idea." I joked with him as he pulled me to his chest. My rear connected with his pelvis and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"You know exactly what I mean." He nibbled at my ear and swayed behind me

Ondre meant his birthday; he was turning 700 this winter. While most vampires Ondre's age totally ignore another year, Ondre had always been to celebrate his transformation into a vampire. He once told me killing was all he was ever good at, and vampirism made him even better. When he was made, there was little concept of time for his people, so the exact date would be forever lost. Therefore, he celebrated his eternal life with the first snowfall of winter.

"Ah, that's right." I said as he kissed my neck, slipping his hand under my waistband. "Someone's turning 700..."

"Mmhmm-" He said through a closed mouth. Just then, the phone in his pocket sounded off. He answered it with one hand, while the other dipped lower into my pants. "Hello, Mrs. Flanagan-" He began after answering the phone. "Yes, it was quite the handsome sum of money." He was quiet, and then laughed a deep, but quiet laugh. "Understood." He said and fell silent; the hand he held his phone with now slid along my hip and unbuttoned my pants.

"Oops-" He said, his lips rolling over my ear.

"Wait. Wait!" I jumped off of him and buttoned my pants.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" His guess was wrong, and unfounded; my bruises had gone, and my eyes were finally their normal golden-brown.

"No. I'm fine." Ondre's shoulders relaxed, but he didn't move from in front of me. "Who was that?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"That was Nan; Nan Flanagan."

"Obviously."

"Well, next time, ask a question you don't have the answer to." He turned the corner of his mouth up in a smile, and answered the question I hadn't asked. "She says there's a new Monarch in town."

"Is that all?"

"Is it ever?" He asked, his voice touched with cynicism. "We're to present ourselves to her at her manor, and pledge our undying-Blah, Blah, Blah." He shook his head at the nonsense words he finished with.

"Always something." I said quietly. "What's her name?"

"Does it matter?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the broken tree. Before I could give him a look of disapproval, he answered. "Her name is Serana Torllona de Roma."

"Oh, that's a new one." Ondre chuckled, and piqued my interest. "What? What do you know?"

"Nothing more than I told you. I just find her name ridiculous." I believed him, or wanted to, but given Ondre's track-record I had to take it at face value. "Honestly!" He added, and forced a smile to my face.

"You're lying. I know you are."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm-" I stepped towards him, and he reached out and grabbed me at the waist, a hand on each hip.

"How can you tell?" He asked as I nearing him.

"I'm not telling you!" We were together again, and suddenly I found myself in total acceptance of his truth. Perhaps it was his intoxicating earthy smell, or maybe it was a realization of the depth of his love, but my money went on his stone-hard cock pressed into my stomach. He touched his lips to my face, grazing them across my skin.

"Well, since you fished it out of me-" Ondre touched his lips to mine, his tongue flicking on them, then pulling away as he readied to speak again.

"Fucker-" I bucked against his hips and settled into the grip he had on me.

"-She's one of Nan's." I knew what he meant, Nan was Serana's maker. "So I guess technically-" He spun me around and slammed me into the tree, his arms on either side of my shoulders. "-I was lying. Sorry, old habit." He leaned in and planted his mouth on mine.

Soon after a gentle and steady rain began to fall from the clouded sky; it beaded down Ondre's chest and flicked on to me as his body rocked mine against the sturdy but dying tree. My fingers etched streaks in his firm, alabaster skin. His fangs were drawn as I tore at him, and his fingers did the same, scratching and digging into the meat of my hip. Our eyes stared lazily at the other, meeting for a moment of intensity until the pleasure had become too much and we were forced to shut them.

We were on the damp forest floor, rain steadily pouring down Ondre's back, dripping down his stomach and on to me. He was behind me, his knees and feet in the cold mud. He held me to him with a strong, firm hand. With every thrust he rolled his lips over my neck, chewing and gnawing on my flesh. It was incredibly painful, and unbelievably orgasmic.

The clouds broke overhead as we lay in the mud together. Ondre's muddy hand rested on my chest and we stared up at the starry night. He traced tiny circles on my skin and touched his lips to my shoulder.

"We should go home." He said quietly. "Soon." He added after I ignored him.

"I don't want to..." I breathed.

"Come on." Ondre stood and pulled me up with him. Neither us bothered with our clothes, and only threw them over our shoulders before we took off for our cottage.

* * *

Queen Serana Torllona was much, much older than me, and far younger than Ondre. From what Ondre told me, she was between 500 and 600 years old, placing her creation during the 16th century; a time of great upheaval in the political and religious boundaries of the planet. The Protestants gave crippling blow to the Roman Catholic Church, and all of Europe erupted in petty religious squabbles. Asia fared no better; the Turks spread across the continent like a plague, and Japan began to wage war with itself.

From this time, one of the most prominent figures in vampire history emerged; Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed. Now known as the Blood Countess, she was accused of the murder of hundreds of young girls, believing their blood would sustain her youth. Most of what is known of her is legend and fairytale, spread by ignorant peasants and jealous nobles. She had incredible wealth, loaning great sums of money to the King, and used her husband's army to keep the Turks out of her Hungarian homeland.

My knowledge of her would seem excessive, had Ondre not been her maker. He created her during a time he was separated from Zuriel, but long before their final parting. She and Ondre ravaged the forests of Europe for just short of a decade, but grew bored of each other and he released her some time ago. They remain in touch, as much as immortals on opposite ends of the earth wish, even during the digital age.

"Leon?" Ondre asked me from the front room of our tiny, minimalistic home.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready?" I heard him fiddling with the door, clearly growing impatient.

"Do you want me to leave like this?" I said and stepped into the doorway. Ondre's jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw me.

"Where did you get that!?" He shouted, his voice shaking with amazement.

"What? This old thing?" I asked, faux-modeling the incredibly heavy and elegant gold and diamond choker. It was made of interlocking golden rings and stretched from the base of my jaw and over my shoulders, with a cascade of chain down the breast.

"Did Jackson give that to you?"

"No. It was among Annabelle's things, in one of her bags." An eager smile spread across his face and I took him into the bed room, where upon our bed I had laid out one of her thin, polished wooden lock-boxes.

"Well now-" He said, touching his hand to his mouth. "It's a good thing Jackson is dead!" He said after a pause. "These are his progeny's. All of them. That collar included."

"The one Jacqueline had killed?" He nodded pushing off from the bed. "Well now...No wonder Annabelle brought them with her..."

"All of that is irrelevant. Now, they are yours. Quite the collection, my Love." He touched the side of my face.

"Thank you." I smiled and stepped around him, closing the box and stashing it away in our closet. "Could you grab my ring, Love?" I slipped into the pants I'd selected, one of my favorite pairs; Skin-tight black leather sprinkled with gold-dust.

"Which one?" He asked as I stepped out holding the pair of shoes I would wear. They were wedges wrapped in a shimmering gold, which added several inches to my nearly staggering height.

"The dragon. The one in the egg." I said slipping them on, and falling into the doorway when my ankle rolled out from under me. I caught myself on Ondre's arm. "Thank you, Love." I took the ring from his hand and steadied myself, putting the last shoe on and strapping it over my ankle.

"Of course." He said as I slipped my fingers into my ring.

"How's my hair?" I asked flipping it up with my fingertips. Ondre laughed and shook his head.

"You look stunning. Come, we're keeping a Queen waiting." He waited behind me, and as I stepped out the room he yelled after me. "You're not wearing a shirt?"

"No." I said without stopping, I threw open the door to see Ondre burst out into the night, blazing a trail through the darkness.

* * *

Queen Serana had set up shop in Jackson's home, but it was currently in advanced deconstruction and refurbishing. The Great Hall remained the same, more or less, and was where we met. She was tall for a woman, and her extremely lithe, thin figure only exaggerated it. Her hair was incredibly long, even as it wrapped her head in a beautiful crown of hair; the ponytail in the back swept down her back. Her face revealed a calculating mind, with thin, narrow eyes and pointed cheeks.

Her cinched waist was held tight by a sparkling, gemstone encrusted, silver obi-belt. Under her belt, an hourglass-shaped white dress looked like it had been poured on to her, flowing along the curves of her body with an unspeakable shape. Draped across her shoulders was a thick white cape made from the same material as the dress. It cut down her arms and spread out behind her. She was the picture of 1990's elegance.

"Good evening, Gentlemen." Her voice poured over her slim, ruby lips, full of a rich, thick, civilized Italian accent.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." Ondre and I said together. The Queen raised an eyebrow at us and began to slink her way down the black marble stairs. "Let me guess..." She puffed her cigarette from the foot-long stem that held it. "Ondre?" She turned her head to him. He bowed before her, but her face showed no change. "That makes you Leon." She took another drag. I bowed and she spun around away from us. From the angle I was able to see her shoes. They were the most beautiful pair of sky-high heels I'd ever seen; covered in thousands of tiny diamonds embedded in a shimmering silver fabric.

"Interesting." She said and let out a breath, smoke shooting into the air. "That makes you the assassin, and you his...concubine?" Ondre snickered through his teeth, and spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I've served the Authority for half a century. He's served me nearly a year." Serana's face tightened, in what I took as a smile.

"Interesting." She touched the pipe to her lips and drew a deep breath, knocking ashes into the hands of a servant, who eagerly caught them. "I know what you say is true, which surprises me. Most of what I know of you is blood and lies." She stared down at Ondre with an intense, predatory look, something she accomplished with minimal changes in her features.

"The tools of a true assassin, Your Grace." He pacified her accusations with acceptance.

"You can always trust a liar to lie, and yet here you speak the truth. Interesting." She took another puff. "If you know anything of the Authority then you know dark times are ahead for our kind, assassin. You are strong enough to behead monarchs then you are more than strong enough to be a target." The tone of the conversation had shifted; no longer mocking, they were speaking dangerous words.

"Yes, I am."

"And yet you still work for them." She exhaled another plume of smoke. "Interesting."

"Your Majesty, I have lived far too long to be scared of jealous rivals."

"Then you are far too egotistical to be capable." She spat, her words striking him like a fist. "And you." She jerked her head around to me.

Son of a bitch…

"You follow this man, in total disregard for your own safety, even after being cast away once before. Do you not think yourself a fool?"

"Excuse me, my Queen-" Had I a beating heart, I'd be flying out of my chest. "But love is by definition, foolish." Her face drew up, and her lips trembled over the teeth.

"There shall come a time when we will war with our own. I intend to survive this conflict-" She gave her cigarette to the servant who caught its ashes, and he sped away. "You needn't worry, they're all completely deaf." She dropped her cape and it fell on the steps behind her. "I would take you in my court, assassin, in the hopes that the three of us emerge, more or less alive."

"I'm holding a ball once my home is complete; it should take no longer than a week. You, assassin, will bind yourself to me in servitude, and I will promise the safety and comfort of you-and your concubine." She jerked her dark brown eyes my direction. Ondre did too, and soon after rose, taking her hand in his and laying a kiss on the back of her palm.

"Yes, my Queen."

"You may go." She said, taking her hand back before beginning up the stairs.

"Come, my Love." Ondre grabbed my hand and led me through the construction.

"Ondre...What did she mean?" I began to feel the panic I had grown accustomed to, and I did not like it.

"Not here." His eyes showed a sense of urgency, and I let him lead me into the forest around the late Jackson Smith's manor.

"You know the Authority was behind the so-called Great Revelation, in the hopes that we could mainstream with the humans. Live with them and coexist."

"Of course. I can't imagine a newborn not knowing that."

"You'd be surprised." He said shaking his head. "Well, there are rumors that members of the Authority have...other agendas." Ondre's voice was slow and even, the way he spoke when telling an unfavorable truth. "Some say they are Sanguinista."

"What's that?"

"They're vampires who believe in dominance over humans. They want supremacy, and are willing to wage war with the humans to get it."

"War?" Ondre only dipped his head. "What on earth are they thinking?"

"Couldn't tell you; I'm not a mainstreamer, but humans deserve our respect."

"Excuse me?" That statement went against everything I'd ever known of him. He was murderous, and blood-thirsty, and had been his entire life.

"Let's just say you've shown me the way." A light came through the sky and wafted over Ondre's beautiful, angular face. "It's been decades since we killed, and I'm as happy as I've ever been."

"Decades?"

"I mean together." A sly smile turned the corners of his lips up.

"Why did Serana seem so sure of this?"

"With what little I know, I'm sure of it. And her maker is a chancellor, who do you think got her the crown?"

"And our dark times? How long until they begin?"

"I couldn't say. With Roman Zimojic as Guardian it may never happen."

Nothing I could think of matched my feelings to this. I had to know more. "And you would fight for Queen Serana Torllona?"

"I will fight for you." He touched my hand, stroking my thumb with a finger.

"Then we fight together. For each other."

"What a fierce little warrior you are." He pulled me to him and he held me by my neck as we kissed.

* * *

The week passed and Queen Serana's invitation arrived. It was hand delivered by a very handsome vampire, who stared a bit too long at Ondre for my liking. Ondre was not interested, and after taking the envelope, shut the door in the man's face.

"What's that?"

"Our invitation, to our most generous Monarch's coronation." Ondre stuck his finger through the thick, parchment and pulled out the folded invitation. It was trimmed in a golden elegant, old-world style, with nothing else on the front. Ondre passed it to me after flipping it open and skimming it with his eyes.

I took it and opened it, but it was completely lost to me. "What is this? Italian?"

"Yes."

"I don't speak Italian." I said giving it back to him.

"Really?"

"No."

"I could have sworn you knew Italian. Are you sure?"

"I think I would know when I can't understand a language."

"Well, allow me to translate." He took a strong posture and cleared his throat in a joking, overtly dramatic manner. "To the vampire known as Ondre, you are personally invited by Serana Torllona de Roma, Vampire Queen of Virginia, to her coronation ceremony, and the celebration that will follow. You are expected, as a member of the court, to appear, and are welcome to bring a guest. After that it just gives her address and the date of the ceremony."

"When is it?"

"Three days from today."

"Dress code?"

"It says here 'Your best and most articulate formal wear'."

"You know what that means, right?"

"Yes, we'll be dancing." I said nothing, only grabbed Ondre's hands and pulled him into our bedroom. I sat him on the bed and dashed into the closet. "Help me put together an outfit!" I heard Ondre laugh, and without seeing him I knew he was shaking his head at me, an act that betrayed the relative secrecy of the depth of his love.

* * *

Ondre and I stood outside of Queen Serana Torllona's mansion, which had been wholly renovated and now was clean, modern, and elegant, with Mediterranean flair; the southern touch it once had now gone. Black suited security stood on both sides of the steps, with a valet to take care of the swarm of vampire vehicles. One of them had just stepped into Ondre's Ferrari and drove it into the underground parking complex.

Ondre stood with regal poise, holding me at his side with a crossed arm. His evening jacket was tight and form-fitting, with long lines and minute detail. His shirt was buttoned nearly to the neck, and dyed a bright crimson red, matching the tuft of fabric in his pocket. Atop his head sat a tall, stovepipe hat, embellished with a lovely crimson ribbon at the base.

I, however, wore something less conventional. Along with my ankle-high booties I wore an angled pair of high-cut black pants, with a diamond shape jutting out at the hips and narrowing as they connected just above my ankles. Over my bare chest was a bolero-cut coat in a glossy and sturdy fabric. Its shoulders decorated in small lengths of silvery chain, matching the shimmering silver belt around my waist.

"Are you ready?" Ondre asked.

"Of course I am." I said touching my hair.

"They'll eat you alive in there." Ondre said shaking his head as we climbed the stairs.

"Let them feast, hell, let them gag." Ondre's face lit up at my confidence and as we reached the top stair a man asked us for our invitation, which Ondre presented.

"Welcome to Queen Serana Torllona's coronation, my Lord." He said and bowed as he showed us to the doors, which opened before us.

Our Queen knew how to throw a party, and spread out before us was a writing, drinking, laughing ocean of incredibly well dressed immortals.

"Smile." Ondre said and we walked in, making our way for the crowd.


	24. A Study in Dramatics

The entry hall had been expanded into a massive, open room, the grand marble staircase at the back. Every few meters, spread across the room, were great towering statues of the roman pantheon. Venus playfully covered her breast, as her hair swept down to her feet. Neptune held his trident to his side, his godly hand loosely gripping it beneath the head. And shuffling between them, were Queen Serana's quests.

There were as many humans as vampires, but you couldn't tell by their dress; everyone was wrapped in enough style and gemstones to make the others stare in envy. There were women in corsets and long billowing, lacy dresses, others in tight, form fitting, modern pieces, with touches of old-world styling. There was a common look, yet there was something new to see no matter where you looked.

Crowns adorned in the largest, brightest gems I'd ever seen. Women wore bands of gold that covered their arms like armor. I saw an oversized beret-style cap, wrapped in a golden net with brilliant, sparkling feathers pinned to the side. There was a gorgeous African vampire who wore a pair of twisted gilded horns on her head, and another who bore a great orb like the sun perched atop a cascade of black hair.

Why so many humans had been invited to the coronation of a vampire Queen was beyond my level of comprehension, these were secret affairs and had been for centuries. Perhaps our Queen wasn't as intelligent as she seemed, perhaps they would be glamoured after the celebration and were here only as a sign of her power and influence; whatever the reason I chose not to dwell on it any longer.

"Apparently, the color of the night is gold." Ondre whispered as we both took a look around the crowd.

"Apparently." I said, and threw open my bolero, flashing my ivory chest and wide, silver obi. A few of the immortals in the front turned their heads and looked over the two of us. Some looked interested; others seemed to have found something amusing. "That woman has feathers on her eyebrows." I nodded my head and giggled at one of the staring vampires.

Ondre and I stepped down into the engagement and began to socialize our way deeper.

"Ondre, it's been centuries!" A woman grabbed his arm away from me. Had I not been surrounded by ancients, she'd have been dead. I spun about to see him swiftly take his arm back and reach out for me. I stepped to his side and took in the spurned vampire.

She was tiny, short by any standard, with broad features and short blonde hair.

"Lauren!" Ondre pulled me closer. "Please, I'd like you to meet Leon." There was no need for a title with this vampire, I knew what I was to him; everything.

"Hello. Lovely to meet you." I dipped my head to the woman I knew nothing about.

"Lovely to meet you, Leon. How long have you two been together?" She adjusted her stance, trying to make conversation.

"I couldn't tell you, who keeps track of time anymore?" Ondre responded, showing off his incredible social skills. While not being inherently funny, not to anyone but an immortal, the woman laughed and stuck her hand out in a pleasant manner.

"I don't know how you do it! I remember when I was new, I couldn't think of being around all of these breathers."

"I'm not as young as you may think." I responded to her.

"Oh no, how many years do you bear?"

"Nearly a century."

"You'll have to excuse me then, but I am ancient, child."

"You're excused, at your age I'm just happy you're able to get around!" I did not know this woman, but it was the perfect way to rebuke her insult. Her face twisted about, finally ending up in a scornful smile.

"Yes, I surprise myself with my vitality. I'm so sorry, child-" Her emphasis on the word couldn't have been more obvious and less subtle. "-But I must excuse myself. Good evening." She dipped her head, we did the same and she hurried away.

"You're terrible." Ondre said through a proud smile.

"Whatever I am, you made me." I bumped his hip as we turned and continued through the party. We were stopped a few more times, each vampire as unique as the last. The gathering continued this way for nearly an hour. I met ancients, newborns, and even humans of high political, social, and economical standing. There were executives, presidents, Queens and Kings, sheriffs and commoners alike. Ondre and I had beautiful wine glasses filled to the brim with a mix of TruBlood.

"...I remember her, always a little too shortsighted for her own good." Said a beautiful female vampire; sheriff of area 37, she claimed, a territory in the Kingdom of Maryland. She spoke about Annabelle. News had spread of her death, yet no one knew exactly how she died. Indication of a job well done, Ondre would later tell me.

"I head she was a part of some rebellion; she was plotting against her own King!"

"How calumnious!" A younger, prettier vampire said; her voice high and shrill, full of immortal youth.

"You know what I heard?" Asked a shorter, dark featured man. "I heard Jackson was on the Blood List."

"Blood List?" Asked the same younger vampire, while the others seemed to straighten their backs and look around them.

"It's a list the Authority makes; it keeps track of troublesome vampires."

"You mean powerful."

"All the same to the Authority." Said the dark haired man. Ondre, who had been hovered beyond the conversation, now took an interest.

"Whatever the reason, I'm more than pleased with the change. Jackson was blinded by his power." He added.

"It has a way of doing that." Said another vampire.

"It does indeed." Said the darker, shorter immortal; from the way he spoke, I could instantly tell he wasn't to be trusted, also that he knew Ondre. The looks and tone he took in response to him were far too familiar for my liking. Just as the conversation died down among us, the lights overhead shut out, and flashed back on casting brilliant red light in every corner of the room.

"For centuries-" Queen Serana's voice broke through the function, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Our races have preyed on each other all to advance ourselves. However we are long from the dark ages, and emerging on a great, and prosperous time for both Vampire, and Human. Separate, we have ruled different facets of this earth, but together, it shall all be ours." The lights died down again, and once they flashed back on Queen Serana Torllona was standing on the central step of the grand staircase.

She wore an elaborate collar made from grey and white fur; it was draped across her shoulders and tucked under her arms, which rest on her hips. Her dress was a form-sitting, yet shapely black evening gown, made of thick, heavy fabric. Over her eyes she wore a metal visor that wrapped around her face from ear to ear. Her look was classical elegance with futuristic edge and simplicity. This one had a flair for the dramatic, something I, more than anyone, could appreciate.

There were gasps, whispers, and applause all at the same time. From behind her, a convoy of vampires began down the stairs, on either side of her. They wore the same visor as she did, and stomped down towards the crowd, as the final man passed her, she stood straight and dropped the fur from her shoulders and made her way to the final step, where a large and wide platform had been built, obviously for just this occasion.

"Long live the Queen!" Shouted someone from deep in the crowd, it then broke out in cheer and applause. She took her place on stage next to her maker, Nan Flanagan, who cleared her throat and began to speak.

"It's an honor to see so many friendly faces here tonight, mortal and otherwise. Serana, stand before me." She commanded, and the Queen-to-be rose to her feet and raised her hand to the chancellor.

"Here is where they swear on the blood, or some such nonsense." Ondre whispered in my ear. And sure enough, Chancellor Flanagan asked her 'Do you swear fealty to the one true Vampire Authority, who's wisdom we hold-" At this Ondre's hand had dipped below the belt around my waist, and I began to tune out, but she continued like this for a few moments. Finally, our queen nodded, and spoke.

"I do."

"Then it is my honor to name you, Serana Trollona de Roma, Vampire Queen of Virginia." The Queen bowed before her maker, and turned to bow before her subjects, who met her in a hearty embrace of cheer and jovial exclamation.

"Please, my friends, drink, grab an immortal, and dance. Celebrate with your Queen!" She shouted to the crowd, and music began to play throughout the incredible room. It was electronic, made with the cadence of classical music, and backed by a slowly building Gregorian chant.

Ondre spun me around to face him and caught me in his strong hands.

"Your queen commanded you to dance with me."

"She did, didn't she?" I took his hand, and moved the other to a higher spot on my backside. He stepped towards me, moving in a slow and romantic dance. We moved together for no more than a few seconds before I felt a presence to my side.

"Could I cut in?" Asked the dark haired vampire from earlier. I couldn't be sure who he asked, but there was no way I was giving Ondre up. Ondre, however, smiled and greeted the vampire.

"Garrett."

"Ondre." They two said to one another.

"I could spare 5 minutes. Would you like a drink, my Love?" He asked, holding me close.

"Ugh, sure." He touched his lips to my face and then let go, leaving me with the stranger. He held out his hand, bowing like a gentleman.

"Care to dance?" He asked, his voice rocky, but smooth, and undeniably English. I took his hand, after looking over his body. He was shorter than me, coming to my shoulders. He wore a dinner jacket, with simple styling, and the tight fit that was so popular in today's culture.

"So, can I get your name, stranger?" I asked, laying my hands in his.

"Garrett, Garrett William Hensley. And may I ask yours?" His fingers were shorter than Ondre's and thicker too.

"Leon."

"Does that come with a last name?" His bright blue eyes twinkled as he cockily pushed his luck with me.

"If you must know, my full name is Léon Alexandre Karstón" I told him, my French accent dancing around each syllable.

"So you are French."

"Ouias." I said, growing bored and irritated.

"You needn't worry; I've known Ondre for years."

"And how did you come to know him?"

"We're in the same line of work." He was an assassin. I knew something about him was different. He spoke with the same cynicism as Ondre had when talking about the Authority. That made three vampires who knew more than I did about the Authority, and all three made them sound like the enemy.

"I take it by the look on my Love's face you've exposed yourself?" Ondre was by my side again, and I let go of Garrett immediately. Ondre laughed and handed me my drink. "For you, just the way you like it."

"Thank you." I took it from him and swallowed a sip. It was perfect; mostly B+ without too much O+, and just enough A-. "So, is what he says true?"

"Yes, it is." Serana's voice cut into our conversation, and she stood to the side of Garrett. "The way I see it, the best way to keep from getting killed is to surround yourself with killers."

"That's an interesting way to see things, Your Majesty." Ondre said.

"Jackson kept a court of traitors, and died a traitor's death." With this her eyes glazed over Ondre, who slipped her a sly smile. "This way, should I meet the true death it will be at the hands of one capable of delivering it through the greatest killers the centuries have to offer."

"Well put, my Queen." Garrett tipped his head her way; she did the same, only much less so.

"You must excuse me. I hear another calling my name." She reached out and touched the hands of Ondre and Garrett before touching my shoulder. "Lovely belt. We must arrange a fitting sometime." She said to me, her eyes, cold as ever, revealed a quiet sincerity from behind the wall. Queen Serana Torllona walked away from us, and I watched her as she left, her dress the most elegant thing I'd seen in a long time.

"Look at this." Ondre slipped something in front of my eyes. They adjusted instantly and had my heart been beating, it would have skipped over one. I saw five zeroes, preceded by a 75.

"What-What the fuck?"

"Apparently, we're the best the centuries have to offer." Garrett said with the same disbelief I felt.

"Already knew that." Ondre tucked the note into his suit and gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher. "Someone's going to need a bigger closet." He said quietly, and threw an arm around me. "Garrett, I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"Likewise. Léon." He paused at my name, giving it a weight I didn't like. Then, the three of us separated, Ondre and I went our way, Garrett went his.

"So...What the fuck is his deal?" I asked as we got out of earshot, or I felt we were out of earshot. I didn't care.

"He wants me, has for years. And apparently, is not above going through you."

"Hmmm..." I said quietly.

"Is that jealousy?" He asked, and looked down into my eyes. "You're jealous!" I looked away and took a sip from my drink.

"Did you fuck him?"

"What?"

I jerked my head back to him, feeling a pressure behind my eyes. "Did you fuck him?" I forced the words out of my mouth. Ondre was silent for too long, and I felt an icy spike in my chest. It felt like the end of my world, and so I bolted out of the room, tears streaming down my face.

"My Lord, is everything all right?" Asked one of the vampires Ondre and I met at the front doors.

"Yes, I'm fine. Could I just get a moment?" I wiped the blood from my face; he watched, and then bowed his head.

"Of course, my Lord." He dipped his head and shut the door behind him, stepping inside, leaving me alone.

I couldn't even think it. Ondre with someone else, giving them everything he gave to me. I sat down on the stairs and wiped the steadily dripping blood from my face, careful to avoid my outfit.

"I don't mean to hurt you." He said from behind me.

"How many times?"

"Once."

"How long ago?"

"Twenty...Thirty years ago." I was quiet again.

"And do you...Do you love him?"

"Leon!" He said my name I was used to hearing it, in his husky, Hungarian voice. "Had I felt anything for him, would I have chased you out into the night? Would I have told you the truth about him?" Every evil, spiteful thing I could think came to mind, and they were hard to fight back. But I knew none of them would serve me here. "Leon." He sat down beside me. "Garrett is a piece of my past, a tiny, insignificant piece. I haven't thought of him in decades. You're all I've wanted, and I'd never do anything to compromise your place in my world."

"I love you, Leon." He held my hand, and turned towards me. "Please, won't you look at me? He is nothing; you are my sun, my moon, and my stars." He turned my head in his hand, lightly, and gently.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing but what the Queen makes him."

"And you can stand beside him, and think of nothing but me?"

"I can stand beside a bleeding virgin and think of nothing but you." I smiled at this, and took his hand.

"Please, it happened when were apart, so I will not hold it against you. But, please…never speak of it again." I found myself begging.

"Never again." He touched his forehead to mine, holding my hands in his. "Come on, I'm sure everyone is talking about the newborn Ondre chased out of the party."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes, you're something new to these ancients. The last time they saw a man in heels, he wore a wig and skirt." This was funny, not hysterical, but it made me laugh, and I felt a final tear begin its journey down my face. Ondre caught it on his finger and flung it to the ground. "Come." He took the empty glass from my hand and set it on the steps. "Let's get you another drink." Ondre helped me to my feet and after staring into my sorrow-struck eyes pulled me to his chest.

"I know what I promised, but if it makes you feel better, you're much better than he was." He kissed me, and somehow, this did make it better, if only marginally.

Ondre reached into his coat and pulled out a large, but thin box, wrapped in a sparkling blue ribbon. "I meant to give this to you in the car, but the moment only just now presented itself." He pushed it my way, and I took it in my hands. "I had it made for you. It goes with your belt." He said crossing his legs, watching me peel away the ribbon.

The box was no taller than an inch, but it was an easy five inches long on all sides. After dropping the ribbon to the ground I lifted the top and saw a stunning flash of color. Resting on a bed of lofty cotton was the largest ruby I'd ever seen. It was the size of a peach pit, and shaped like an almond, pointed on one end, round and full at the other. It was trimmed in glittering platinum, and as I plucked it from the box I felt the pin in the back.

"Ondre..." I said, holding the stone in my hand. "This is amazing. I wish you hadn't..." Ondre shook his head, and plucked the brooch from my hands.

"I don't want to hear it." He slipped a hand under my belt and fixed the stone to it. I looked down to see it placed with perfect symmetry. "There. You look lovely, Leon." He touched my face, and pulled himself to me, placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

"Ondre-" I pulled at his coat when he tried to move away. "I love you." Was all I could bring myself to say, but it was more than enough.

"I love you." He pulled us together and held me in a tight embrace; our lips tickling the other, barely touching.

"My Lord." Said a voice from behind us, Ondre let go and I turned my head past his to see one of Queen Serana's suited servants standing by the door. "The Queen hopes all is well, and invites you back to the celebration."

"We're coming." Ondre dismissed the man, and he must have had a higher standing than I thought, as the man hurried back inside. "You'd think the good Queen would come ask herself."

"Five thousand dollars on her being at the door when we step in." I flashed a smile at him and eagerly squeezed his hand. "And, she's changed clothes."

"Really, now..." He asked; his voice more playful than intrigued. "How can you tell that?"

"It's what I would do." Ondre bit at his lip and we kissed again, his hands holding me at the hips. I took a breath through my nose as we kissed, and felt the intensity build between us. His hands squeezed me tight and he gave my pelvis a bump. It was incredibly hard to fight it, after having my chest thrown open all I wanted was to give in and get lost with Ondre.

But this was not the time. I touched his chest and gently pushed him away.

He grunted and bit his lip, shaking his head as he took my arm and led me to the door.

"Gentlemen." Our Queen met us at the door, and I felt Ondre's chest heave in laughter as his eyes fell on her outfit. Her hair was the most drastic change, and immediately noticed. It was swept up, high on the back of her skull in a pair of twisted horns, reminiscent of a dragon, or demon. Her shoulders were exposed in a very low-cut dress with a dramatic collar that blew behind her and formed what looked like wings. The rest of the dress resembled the other bustle-corset dresses I saw; only hers was much more angular.

"Is everything alright? I heard there was some sort of-"

"Yes, your Majesty, everything's wonderful. Thank you so very much for inviting us here." I broke in, careful to dip my head and take her hand in submission as I spoke. "I'm so sorry for any disturbance I have caused tonight."

"No. No, please, don't worry yourself. All is well, please, rejoin the festivities." She bowed before us and began to leave.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I said as she walked away.

"You handle yourself before royalty well." Ondre said passively as we began back to the crowd. Some chose to stare, others chose to ignore us, others still I'm sure took no notice.

"They're nothing to be afraid of. They can be killed like anyone else."

"Spoken like an assassin." He drew me close and held me for a dance.

* * *

The queen's celebration had begun to die, her guests were making their exits, and those immortals from out of state would be spending the day at her house. Ondre and I, however, were leaving. Queen Serana saw us out, and we climbed into Ondre's Ferrari and made for home.

"So...Once?"

"Once." Ondre said without having to ask what I meant. He held my hand.

"How much better?" He smiled before answering.

"Infinitely." He kissed my hand.

"I suppose I can live with that."

"Ah!" Ondre made a dramatic sigh. "And here I thought it was all peaches and cream." He turned his lips up in a mocking smile.

"You should know better." He turned his head to me, and laid another kiss on my hand.

"I could kill him, if you want." I shook my head and squeezed his hand, watching out the window as we drove down the road. "Look" Ondre said, nodding towards the road before us. He had stopped, and I jerked my head forward.

There, falling from the sky was a frozen drop of water.

"It's snowing." I said and looked over to see Ondre; he was transfixed on the snowflake. I squeezed his hand and touched it to my lips. "Happy 700th." I said when he turned his head to look at me. His soft lips turned up in an appreciative smile, and he leaned in and held my face to his.

"Thank you, Leon." He rubbed the back of my neck and we kissed in his car as the first snow of the winter began to fall around us.


	25. In the Silence of the Night

The snow had fallen throughout the day, and continued into the night. All around us there was a soft blanket of the purest white, which was being topped by light, airy little flakes of frozen water. Ondre was a few feet away from me, snow up to his ankles, with a languid smile on his face. He was truly divine, and backed by the beautiful scene I could not stand to look at him any longer, as what I felt on the inside poisoned my vision.

"What's wrong, my Love?" Ondre asked. I was being incredibly selfish, and did my best to hide my negativity.

"It's nothing, promise."

"Liar." He said before I could finish my thought. I shook my head, knowing how foolish I was being. "Just tell me? Please. Don't make me beg." He pushed up from the side of the house and with a sigh, I began.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday." The words were hard to say, hard to admit. He had given me everything I'd ever want and need just by existing. There was no way I could repay him for that. He saved me, and gave me a purpose, and I had given him nothing.

I flashed my eyes upwards, seeing Ondre with an amused look on his face. I couldn't bring myself to say anymore, and my eyes fell to the snow. I had only a second before Ondre's eyes were fixed on to mine. He held my head under my chin and sweetly touched his lips to mine. Our moment of tenderness extended, and he let go of my chin to lay his hands on my face.

"Now-" He pulled away from me. "That's enough of that." He touched my cheek and kissed my forehead. "Come on, let's go inside." He pulled on my hand and after some gentle persuasion I followed him in. He shut the door behind us, kicked off his boots, and sat me down on the sleek, leather sofa, continuing into our bedroom. I crossed my hands over my knees and tried to make peace with the truth Ondre had no conflict over. While it didn't bother him, it tore me open, and I resigned to find something he would appreciate and desire.

I heard him fiddling around in his bedside table, the wood-on-wood sounds revealed what he was doing, and instantly I was reminded of the secret I stashed away in his belongings. He was quiet, and then I could smell it. It was like sunlight in a thunderstorm; its intoxicating scent rushed to my nose and sparked my primal urges.

"Leon..." I heard him call to me. "Come here, please." His voice was steady and even, with no signal as to what he was thinking. Reluctantly, I rose and walked into the room where Ondre stood, capped vial in hand. "Where exactly did you find this?"

"It was in Annabelle's things. She had a whole bag of them, from which I stole that one." He cut his eyes at me, an almost proud smile streaking across his face.

"You stole this from Annabelle?"

"The first night she took you from me." His smile widened, then strode out of our bedroom and into the front of the house. He stepped over the sofa and settled into it, patting the spot beside him. I eagerly tucked myself there and found my eyes watching the vial more than Ondre's godly chest.

"You don't know what this is, do you?"

"No idea."

"None?"

"Not a single one." He found our exchange amusing, and chuckled before revealing what he knew.

"This, my Love-" He shook the glass vial from side to side, centering my not-so-focused mind on it. "-Is faerie blood."

"Faerie blood? Like, wings, magic, and tricksters faeries?" He nodded and closed the blood up in his fist, sending my eyes back to him. "I didn't even think they existed."

"They're not supposed to. According to Zuriel they were hunted into oblivion ages before I was created."

"What killed them?"

"Isn't it obvious? We did. Vampires hunted them down and snatched them from history. Or so I thought. This little vial here proves they live."

"So you've never encountered one?"

"No."

"Then how do you know that's the blood of one?"

"My maker was very generous with his knowledge. He told me everything he knew of them; their smell, their taste, their magic."

"Magic? Real magic?"

"You doubt the existence of magic?"

"No, just skeptical."

"Then what brought you out of your grave? What causes your voice to sound in my veins, if not magic?"

"Blood. Blood did all that."

"There is magic in blood, human, vampire, or otherwise. You should remember that." I was quiet for a moment, processing what Ondre told me. It made sense, my creator shared his blood with me and through the ancient magics I rose from the grave as one of the undead. There must be magic in this world; corpses don't rise on their own.

"Is there anything special about the blood? Or does it just smell...fucking irresistible?" Ondre was silent, and began to unscrew the top.

"Let's find out..." It popped open, and out came my fangs. Ondre touched his finger to the opening and turned it up. "Take it." He said, turning the bottle back right-side up. His fangs were drawn and his eyes were fixated on me as I maneuvered the vial the same way he had. We worked together to get the cap back on and sat together, facing each other.

Ondre held his finger up to my mouth, and slipped past my parted lips, laying the blood on my tongue. I wrapped my lips around his finger and presented mine to him. He opened his mouth and I touched his tongue, which embraced my finger as I slid it out.

There was no sensation, nothing; like it had numbed my tongue. I flicked my tongue across my fang to check my sensitivity. It was totally normal, and I saw Ondre do something similar. We stared at each other, both waiting, anticipating the effects.

"Huh-" Ondre sighed, and touched my hand. With his touch, I felt it.

It was lightning on my tongue, bursting and sparking, each tiny ember igniting another bolt in my mouth. My body shivered and tensed up, like it was being energized. Ondre's eyes were huge; round and full of shock. He was feeling what I felt. His mouth turned up in a smile, and our gaze remained unbroken.

"Holy fuck-" I breathed and Ondre laughed. I felt like my pulse was pounding, like my heart was beating in my ears, like the blood was once again pumping through my veins; but all of this was impossible.

In the same instant Ondre and I were on the sofa, against the wall, on the floor of the doorway to our bedroom, and finally we landed on our bed. We were locked together; kissing and touching. Ondre bit my lip and drew quite a bit of blood, but I didn't care. It healed instantly and he found a more suitable area for feeding.

His fangs struck me in the neck and he held me to the bed with his body. My head turned to the front room I saw our clothes, thrown about like they had been swept up in a windstorm.

"Ah-Fuck." It was already too much to handle. I squeezed at his shoulder, his broad scapula moving infinitesimally as he feed. He bit down harder, and I felt my blood squirt from the wounds and begin to pour out of my neck. It streamed beside us and rolled over my chest, streaking across Ondre's as he tore at me.

"Ondre-" I groaned, pulled at his flesh. He shook his head and removed himself from my neck.

"Are you okay?" He asked, holding his blood-dripping face over mind.

"Fucking fantastic-" I bucked up against him and kissed his bloody mouth. He relaxed down on top of me and held the sides of my face. Our lips were electric. His kick started my body, like they had direct contact to the third-rail.

"You taste incredible..." He looked into my eyes, and brought his wrist to his mouth, but I grabbed it, and stopped him. We said nothing as I sank my teeth into his forearm with such I was surprised it didn't shatter.

"Uughh!" He cried out as I penetrated his arm with my fangs. I felt the muscles beneath his skin tense and relax as he fought between the pain of his flesh tearing, and the joys of letting passion rip you apart.

His blood had never been this delicious, I could taste the faerie magic in it; mixing and enchanting the tastes and smells I loved. I chewed at his arm, driving my teeth deeper. Ondre touched my face with his other hand and he slipped his thumb into my mouth, distracting me enough to get his arm back.

"Your cock is about to burst through my gut." He kissed my neck. I felt it pressed hard against him, and then plunged it deeper with a buck of my hips. In response he chewed playfully at my lip. He pulled away and buried his face in my neck; kissing, touching, tickling.

"Stop..." I pushed at his ribs and turned my head away. He continued his carnal assault on my body. I felt his tongue flick across my collar, the fur on his chest rubbing across my stomach. "Stop, Ondre, stop." I begged him, pushing harder. Then I felt the round head of his firm erection streak across the inside of my leg. "Arrête!" I hissed and flipped him over on to the bed.

His eyes were wide and his fangs barred as he grabbed me by the crests of my hips.

"You look good up there." He gave them a squeeze, and I wiggled on top of him.

"It feels good." I tickled his rippled abdomen; his cock reacted and slapped my backside. His hands inched their way around my waist and grabbed fistfuls of the flesh on my rear. I felt his nails cut tiny fissures in my skin, but the pain only added to the experience. Ondre's legs lifted up, and allowed some stability behind my back. I leaned back into them, feeling the warm, soft, black hair brush my bare skin.

"I'm so hot...it's like I'm on fire..." Ondre's hands raced around my body, but settled once more on my rear.

"I feel lightning. It's dancing in my veins." I rocked back on his legs, feeling his hard cock jabbing my spine. "I want you inside me." Ondre kicked up and we flipped over in the air. I landed on my back, Ondre on top. I wrapped my legs around his waist and touched my lips to his neck. He tasted incredible, like sunlight tapering down through a misty forest; a cool breeze in the air, kicking up the earthy, muddy scents of the ground and mixing them with the crisp, fresh fragrances of the air.

He leaned into me, rocking my body against the soft, large bed. "Is that what you want?" His face touched to mine, and he threw my arms up around his neck. I nodded, burying my face in his chest.

"Ouias..." I breathed.

"I love it when you speak French to me." His hand slid between my knees and continued up the leg. He paused at my raging erection, and cupped my swollen scrotum. His hand was so warm and inviting, and as it delved deeper I could feel the hatches on the airlock beginning to fail. Ondre's voice grew heavy and deep, and he began to speak in his native and ancient Hungarian. It was a rough language, but one he spoke so sweetly.

I felt a familiar pressure pressing at the space between the muscled globes of flesh of my ass that I recognized instantly as Ondre's finger. It searched around for a spot to creep within, and soon found it. He took his time with me; tickling, teasing, and massaging. Words became difficult, and whatever I spoke, I spoke in French, and I can scarcely recall them.

Ondre pressed deeper, and I felt him slowly begin to work his way inside me. It hurt, but was the kind of pain that ebbed with each moment, slowly blossoming into pleasure. Ondre and I kissed, our faces inches from each I became fixated on his eyes. They were intense, and gave me the impression he enjoyed what he was doing as much as I did.

I hadn't heard it, but Ondre's face quickly told me something was wrong. He hissed, and flashed his fangs, looking over his shoulder. Then, I heard it. There was a knocking at our door, a vampire on the other side. Ondre shouted and pulled himself off of me.

"Stay here..." He grunted; his voice gruff and full of irritation. Ondre stood from the bed, wrapped a sheet around his waist, and made for the door. I flipped over, to hide my modesty, and watched him. He answered the door and I saw a tiny little man of a vampire. He looked like he was from another time, but I could smell the afterbirth on him. "Speak!" He shouted at him, the little man trembled before Ondre's imposing figure.

"The queen has requested your presence, my Lord." He held out his hand, between his fingers was another envelope, this one less ostentatious. Ondre snatched the paper from him and went to shut the door. "What smells so good?!" He leaned in to our home, his eyes and nose searching for what he sensed.

Ondre wasn't having any of it. He caught the young man by his neck and flung him out into the snow, the door shut before he ever hit the ground.

"What does it say?" I groaned from the bedroom watching him rip open the package and pull out the letter. His eyes raced over the paper, and his entire face went straight. "What's wrong?" I stood and made my way for him.

"Our queen has requested our presence." He said and handed me the paper. I expected more to be gathered, but it only gave a royal invitation, and a time to be there. It wasn't until tomorrow, but I could tell from Ondre's face this didn't matter, and he was quickly growing tired of our queen. I laid the note on the back of the sofa and joined Ondre in our bedroom.

"Everything alright?" I asked, sitting down beside him.

"Everything's perfect." He rolled over on top of me. "Where were we?" He asked, kissing at my neck. His hand slipped between my legs and within seconds he began to saw my flesh with his long, broad fingers.

"That's where you were." The faerie blood inside me was still pumped my body full of energy, and from the way Ondre instantly slipped from irritation into lust, I knew it flooded him with the same intensity.

Our night escalated until I was panting and gasping his name with every forceful thrust of his hips. We fucked on the bed, he mounted me atop the kitchen table, bent me over the sofa, and even held me to the floor while he pounded my ass, his thick, stone-hard rod stretching and pulling at my tender flesh.

The night ended, to my knowledge, with us on the bed, locked together in a couple's embrace when I noticed the stream of blood from Ondre's ear.

"Ondre...you're bleeding." He touched his face, and looked at the blood. He gave it confused stare, and rolled over, grabbing his phone off the bedside table.

"Get up." He said to me and jumped up from the bed.

"What?"

"Up, we've got an hour to be in front of the queen." Ondre walked into the bathroom and started a steaming shower.

Are you kidding me!?" I shouted and scrambled for his phone. In bright white numbers '8:15" displayed on the front.

"We-We fucked for 20 hours!" I threw his phone down and chased after him.

"It must have been the blood." He said and stepped in, rinsing the trails my bloodied semen had left all over his chest and stomach. I couldn't believe it. There was no way Ondre's birthday had passed; we had only just finished...

"Are you coming, or are you going to show up covered in my seed?" Ondre poked his head out of the glass shower door. I stared at him, who showed urgency with his eyes. At this I stepped in with him.

* * *

~Ondre

Getting out of the shower was the hardest thing I'd done in a very long time. I wanted nothing more than to take Leon back to bed and live like the world outside our doors didn't exist. But it did. And I had responsibilities; to myself, and more importantly, to Leon.

We dressed, and made our way out into the dark. We ran to the Queen's home, as driving along the roads would have easily doubled our travel time. Arriving at her gates I took the time to steal a glance of my Love. His beautiful, delicate form made my chest flutter, and I watched his nimble fingers flick through his thick bronze hair. My eyes drifted from his loving hands to the tiny slit of snow-white flesh on his hips.

He must have caught me, but I made no effort to conceal it.

"What?" His eyes were instantly flooded with the worry I inspired in him.

"Nothing, you're perfect." His face shifted into disbelief and he shook me off. "You are." I said again, and our moment was interrupted by a voice from the column at the gate.

"The Queen has granted you entry, welcome, my Lord." A male's voice claimed through the intercom. The gate retracted into the concrete wall that surrounded the grounds and after taking his hand, I led Leon to her doors.

"Why do they call you Lord?"

"I suppose they don't know my last name."

"You haven't told her?"

"As far I know, you're the only who does know it." It was nothing I tried to keep secret, at least I had not guarded it like my more hideous and murderous truths. But Leon seemed pleased at his knowledge, and I would not betray his confidence in me. Never again.

His shoes clicked along the black pavement in the manner I'd grown so accustomed to. It was a noise I hadn't gave much thought to, but I doubted life would be same should I have to walk without them sounding beside me. We approached Serana's home and meeting us at the stairs was an eager vampire, with envious eyes as they fell over me. It may sound vain or boastful, but I was quite accustomed to the desirous stares of others, and they were not difficult to dismiss.

The man opened the doors and led us into Serana's grand hall. He then excused himself and went to fetch his queen.

"I wonder where she put the statues..." Leon's voice cut the silence, and echoed off the high ceilings.

"Is that really what you're thinking about?"

"No, but what I'm thinking about shouldn't be discussed at the current time."

"It seems I have taught you something."

"It would seem so." He turned his head and laid a smile on me. It was simple, and wholly unlike any smile I'd seen, but knowing something I had instilled on him sunk in filled me with a great deal of pride.

"My Lord, if you'd follow me." The man reappeared and spoke clearly to me, but Leon followed anyway, seemingly used to the attention I received. "Excuse me, Sir." The man stopped in front of Leon. "But the Queen will be with you shortly, she asked that you wait for her here."

"I'm not going anywhere without him." I huffed at the young vampire.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but the Queen has asked to speak with Mr. Karstón first." I didn't like this, and everything about it sat wrong on my stomach.

"I'll see you in a bit." I said to my Love and with much trepidation, I left him for the wolves.

* * *

I emerged from Queen Serana's study, the room Jackson used for his meetings with me, and saw Ondre standing impatiently in her grand hall. The lustful young servant who undressed him with his eyes stood over him like a hawk, but Ondre was wholly indifferent.

"It's been a pleasure, Mr. Karstón. I'll be keeping count until I can see you again." Serana bid me farewell and had one of her servants see me down the stairs where I was reunited with my barbarian. The young servant saw us to the door, and began to walk us to the gates until Ondre stopped him.

"That's enough. We've got it from here." At this he pulled me close and began for the gate. We reached it within minutes, a silent understanding between us as we walked. Once we had made it sufficiently far enough away, he would know all our Queen had told me, or ordered me, rather.

"Let's get home." He said once we made it to the gate and as it peeled away we went through and quickly began for our tiny, forested home.

* * *

"She wants you to do what!?" Ondre yelled, his furious voice booming all around me.

"You heard me."

"And she gave you deadline!?"

"Ten days." Ondre was outraged, I, somehow was less so. "How dare she exert her dominion over you like this! I'll have her heart!"

"Ondre. Ondre, please, calm down." I touched him at the wrists and pulled his focus to me. "It's not right, but it's something I must do."

"You don't have to do a damn thing that whore tells you!"

"I would do this regardless of her orders."

"You want to be a maker?"

"No, but it's the wise thing to do." For once, I had been the voice of reason during an emotional outburst. It took a certain strength I didn't know I had, but was happy to have found. Ondre was quiet, and after taking time to relax was able to speak without shouting.

"You understand her reasoning behind this order, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Forcing me to turn a human opens a hole in our defenses. If she controls my progeny, she controls me, and by definition, she controls you." Ondre bit at his lip, and crossed his arms.

"You're smart."

"I know." I brushed off the severity of the situation, and took his hand to my hip.

"Any ideas as to whom you'll be spending eternity with?"

"Other than you, you mean?" I bumped into him.

"You're really bringing a newborn into this mess?"

"Why not? Trial by fire, right?" I wasn't pleased with the situation, and I knew for certain if I was displeased, Ondre was furious. I had one week to snatch the life from a human, and replace his humanity with undead immortality. With luck, I would find one both worthy, and willing to accept my gifts.

* * *

~Ondre

This queen, this stupid, manipulative whore of a queen had systematically ruined the life I set to build with Leon with a single order. Before this week would come to a close, Leon would be a maker, a first time maker; a great honor and incredible responsibility. Regardless of the circumstances of the situation, I would help him shoulder this burden as long as he would stand beside me.

In the day that followed Serana's proclamation Leon and I arranged his plans for travel and vampire-safe boarding. At first night, I drove him to the airport where he boarded his plane for New York City, the northern cultural capital of America. Leon said if he was forced to create a vampire, it would an intelligent, attractive one. I saw him off, and was unable to leave until he was long out of sight. The drive home was unbearably silent, as was the empty house I pulled up to.

I missed him already, and his voice in my blood proved he missed me.

"Where are you? My Love, I need you, where did you go?" I head his voice, and felt a stinging pain in my chest. I removed the phone from my jacket and called his voicemail, leaving a message I knew he'd appreciate.

"The house isn't the same without you, hurry back to me. I love you." Was all I said, and cut the call off. I sat down on our sofa and lay back with my feet hanging off the end. In this, I was transported to a day recently passed; the evening of my 700th birthday, a night that without him I'd have treated as any other.

It had proved to be truly incredible night, and one that I could not fully recall. I remember the feeling of the Faerie blood, and the way it made Leon's taste. His skin was hot, and electric on mine. Sex with Leon had been amazing for as long as I remember having it with him, and it had gotten much better over the ages, but drinking him in the arms of the fae was an unbelievable experience.

I remember the way his fingers tore my back open as he whimpered and gasped underneath me. I can still taste the sweet, bloody tears of ecstasy he left on my tongue. There was a familiar pressure in my groin, and before too long I had wholly given in to the carnal desires I felt.


	26. Acquisitions After Dark

Ondre drove me to the airport, and saw me off with a distinct look of sadness on his face. Leaving him was more difficult than I thought, and I couldn't shake the feeling that once I saw him again, things would never be the same. I boarded the plane, apparently in the cargo hold, and it made way for New York. I did nothing but wait during the flight, being locked in a cramped travel-coffin was not my way to travel, but it was safest.

I suppose.

We landed some time later and after I had been unloaded, I exited the coffin, much to the surprise of the workers around me. Their eyes were wide in fear as I stepped out, and after grabbing my bag I took off for the street. We had landed in a surprisingly urban area, and I found myself within walking distance of my hotel.

It stuck out in the crowded skyline with its cool, modern shape and bold, bright red stripes. It was called 'Hotel Eternia', and was the premier vampire hotel in the northern United States. All around me the city was alive and bustling along with no intention of stopping, even though now it was well into the morning hours.

I walked through the revolving doors, bag in tow and saw a beautiful open room, full of vampires and humans. They sat in over-stuffed, classical-style furniture, in the same shades of crimson that the entire hotel seemed to draw it color scheme from. The lights hung low, and cast a dismal glow all around the room. I walked towards the crowded counter and approached an empty slot.

"Good Morning, and welcome to the Hotel Eternia. How may I serve you?" Asked the woman behind the counter, her hair was coiled on top of her head but ran down the sides of her face in shining, ruby strands. She was a vampire, a young one, I could tell by her scent.

"I have a reservation." I said unsure how exactly this process worked.

"Name?"

"Mine?"

"No, the name of the reservation. Unless they're the same, of course." She smiled with her head dipped down; believing herself to be funny.

"Look under Karston, perhaps?" I questioned myself, feeling more like an idiot than I had in nearly a century. The woman set to typing on her keyboard while her eyes scanned the glowing screen. She pursed her lips and gave her head a tilt.

"I'm sorry. I'm not seeing anything under than name. Did someone else make these arrangements for you?"

"Yes, actually...Check Zaarhn."

"Zaren?" The way she said it sounded nothing like how I did. It was Ondre's ancient Hungarian surname, the part of his past apparently only I was privy to.

"No, Zaarhn." I said it slower this time, and her face revealed no change in her understanding. "Z-A-A-R-H-N." I spelled it out to her. She typed it in and found what she had been looking for.

"Here we go. The Guardian Suite." The woman flashed her eyes up at me.

"That any good?"

"Oh yes, it's one of our best rooms. On the vampire-only floors at the top; very exclusive, and very, very expensive. You must be very important to someone." I chuckled under my breath, but felt a very interesting feeling in my chest. Ondre made these reservations, and paid for them with his, as far as I knew, limitless resources.

"Here you are Sir." She handed me a small but intricate card made of plastic. It bore the name of the hotel in ornate golden letters and showed a tiny golden key in the bottom left corner. "Your room is on the 47th floor. Enjoy your stay at Hotel Eternia." She smiled and I took my leave. Another immortal hurried to the spot I left open, but I paid them no mind and stepped into the elevator and punched in my number.

The ride up took longer than I expected, and although the hotel was busy with activity, I was alone during the travel. Finally, the doors split and revealed a clean, well lit hallway that stretched out before me. I walked into the space and saw a vampire pushing a shining cart of empty and messy bottles of TruBlood.

"Excuse me." I stepped in his path. "Do you know where the Guardian Suite it?"

"Yes, down this hallway, on the left." He answered confidently.

"Merci." I dipped my head and stepped aside, taking his direction and following the hall. I took a left and was met with a door. No other hall, nothing; just a door with a large golden key on the front, and a tiny metallic apparatus where the door handle would be.

Looking at the card I was given, this was obviously my room, and I inserted the card into the tiny glowing slot, which responded nearly immediately. It clicked, and I heard the locking mechanism give and the door popped open. I took the card and dropped it in my pocket, stepping into my room.

It was incredible, draped in rich, shining silks with large stone sculptures against the walls. There was a round table in the center of the room with a large bouquet of scarlet orchids, at its base sat a quiet little folded card.

_"Welcome"_

Was all it had written on it, and I laid it back down and walked under the stone arch and into the main room of the suite. It was beautiful, and followed the elegant, old-world-style of the front. Its furniture sat supported by Queen-Anne's legs, with rich dark, hardwood frame. The floor was polished marble, and stepped down where the sitting area of the room rested. It was covered by a neutral wood in long, horizontal planks. The high ceiling held a chandelier made from twisted antlers carved of sparkling crystal. It was extravagant and completely ridiculous; I loved it, and stood in total awe.

"Oh my..." My jaw dropped, and I stared at the beautiful crystal light fixture. The rest of the room was draped in equal beauty, and I set out to explore the remainder of the suite. There were two bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom, plus a joined study, kitchen, and dining room, complete with grand dining table surrounded by chairs.

I laid my bag down by the bed of the largest room, which I claimed as mine. I laid back on the beaded bed-spread and took in my surroundings. Automatically, I thought of my Love back in Virginia. Without thinking I pulled my phone from the inside of my coat and saw I had a message on my voicemail. I unlocked it and accessed the message.

"The house isn't the same without you, hurry back to me. I love you."

Ondre's voice warmed me like nothing before. I played it again, just to hear him, and immediately dialed his number. It rang twice, and began another when his voice broke the buzz.

"Hello, my Love." He said; his voice gruff and sweet all at once.

"Hello." I began but stopped, and listened to his husky exhales. "Why are you breathing so hard?" I asked quickly.

"Thinking of you."

"I've got you breathing heavy?"

"Among other things..." He was quiet, and drew a sharp breath. It was a sound I heard so many times before, and instantly felt a surge of heat from behind my zipper.

"Oh..." Was all I could manage, but it was more than enough, as the grunt in response spoke volumes. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since you left, it's nearly gotten out of hand."

"Somehow I'm sure you've got it fully under control."

"You'd think so, but I've gone twice now and can't stop."

"Twice?" While not necessarily uncommon, it was certainly a testament to Ondre's sexual vigor.

"Close to a third."

"How close?" I felt my tongue slide across my teeth and my hand slip under my waist.

"So close that if you we were together, I'd be well on to number four."

"Ugh-" I exhaled and unbuckled my belt, giving the swelling organ in my pants room to grow. We were both quiet, aside from the gasps and airy breaths we drew and groaned out. I laid the phone down and flew out of my jacket, shirt, and pants all in one second and flipped over on the bed grabbing the phone again.

"I want you inside me..."

"I want to be inside of you. I'd bend you over the kitchen table and fuck you until dawn."

"Would you fuck me in the shower?"

"Fangs deep in your neck…"

"Hold me down and rock me-"

"Until I broke your fucking hips."

While it may seem very violent and aggressive, it was the way we enjoyed sex. I loved being his prey; his ancient strength totally overpowering me. It made me feel human to bleed and cum for a vampire so old, so powerful, and so very striking. I heard him grunting, and could imagine the heaving in his chest, and the bucking of his pelvis as he unloaded a massive stream of thick, bloody semen into me.

"Ugh-Gahh!" He groaned, and fell silent. It was too quiet, and after looking at my phone I saw the call had been dropped. I dialed him and got no answer, only a message saying my call could not be received. Soon after my phone sounded off with another message; it was a text sent through his private Skype account. "Broke the phone. Kind of embarrassed." I laughed at his misfortune and knew he was doing the same.

"How unfortunate. You could always send a picture." I sent back, finding it cute and playful.

"Will I get one?" Came through nearly instantly.

"Of course." I stood and went to take the picture I'd send to him. His came through soon, and was one I saved and stashed away deep within the memory chip of the phone. It was his cock, veiny, and meaty as it always was. On its head was a bright red bead of vampire semen, and the long shaft was shining with what must have been more of his precious seed. It looked better than I remembered, and I lingered on it before sending my picture.

"What the fuck is this?" He sent back.

"It's the chandelier in the room you booked me. I want one." I hadn't sent him a picture of my flesh at all, and only added to his frustrations over tonight. But with his next message I was assured he expected no less from me.

"I'll see what I can do." Was all he sent, and after removing my tight, shining silvery underwear sent him the picture he'd been after. He sent nothing back, and he didn't need to. I finished myself off to the memories I had stashed away, alongside the glorious image of his divine cock.

* * *

~Ondre

"Any idea what you're looking for?" Asked the woman on the phone with me.

"Yes, I need space, lots of space. I'm no longer alone, and my group seems to be expanding without my consent."

"You're under Queen Serana aren't you?" She asked. It did not bother me that she asked this. This woman had been a companion of mine for years; she was my accountant, my lawyer, my estate manager. It was quite the job, and kept her busy enough for two immortals.

"Sadly."

"Egh." The sound was audible, and comical.

"You don't know the half of it."

"Let's keep it that way. So, you want big?"

"Yes; modern and classical, with open floor plans, and high ceilings."

"Nice."

"Maybe a day room, with a pool, and Jacuzzi-tub."

"Mmhmm."

"Oh, and I need at least two bedrooms, both with their own private bathrooms. And closets, lots of closet space."

"I see." By now she stopped trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Anything else you want me to magically find in a house in five days?" I thought about it, and just out of spite continued with my list.

"Yes actually. I want a garage, one big enough for an entire convoy of sports cars."

"A convoy?"

"Yes."

"And how many is that, exactly?"

"Just find me a house with all that, and do it quickly. Leon should be back soon."

"Price range?"

"Well, I'd rather not spend any more than 10."

"As for decorating?"

"Clean slate. This will be Leon's home to decorate as he sees fit."

"So sweet; if only I had some absurdly wealthy executioner to pay for estate-sized art project."

"Get to work." I hung up the phone and quickly sent her a follow-up message.

"And find one of these." I typed, attaching the picture of the light fixture Leon sent me. If he wanted it, he'd have it.

[BAR]

New York City came alive with the activity of the undead at around 9. I could see them below me on the streets walking with humans and other immortals. I watched the scene for a moment before gathering the courage to take another's life. Stepping out into the cold, but thick night air revealed for once, I wasn't the only man in heels. I was, however, the only one wearing pants, and certainly the only one suffering from a severe case of undeath.

There were woman adorned in the finest furs and flashiest patterns, and men with dull leather, and brightly colored clothes beneath. I was happy with my choice of outfit; I wore my jacket, the one Annabelle had given me, and a pair of bright white skin-tight pants with my monochrome snake-skin shoes.

The pointed heel made a sound I was not accustomed to on the concrete sidewalks, and as I walked, I received not even the passing glance. Apparently, a cross-dressing vampire wasn't that impressive a sight, not on the streets of New York anyway. I passed a street vendor selling TruBlood and bought myself a bottle.

"B+, please." I said as the man grabbed a bottle and popped it into a warmer.

"That's fifty bucks." The man's voice was all New York, and quite enchanting in a brash, and nearly ignorant manner.

I pulled out my wallet, tucked safely against my breast, and handed him one of my lesser debit cards. An account I had established myself, but now was obsolete in all but the most mundane expenses. He processed my information and after taking my signature, which I signed in my most elegant and vampire-worthy hand. The machine warming my bottle finished with and the man removed my bottle, popped the cap off and handed it to me.

"Merci." I took a paper-wrapped straw from his cart and walked off, deciding not to tip. I had the money, but not the desire. I stripped the plastic tube and sank it in the thick red liquid I had grown to enjoy. There was a stairwell a ways ahead of me, which I assumed lead to the city's grand network of subways. I saw a small group of humans climb them and enter the busy sidewalk. I followed behind them with no purpose in mind. I could turn one of these humans, but for some reason, I knew they were not the ones.

My phone sounded off. Switching the bottle between my hands I grabbed at the phone and answered it.

"Good evening." Ondre said, his voice harsh and soothing at once.

"Hello, my Love." I responded taking a sip of my drink.

"I don't know how you stand that shit." He obviously heard me.

"It's not that bad. You know it's not."

"Mmhmm." He grunted in response.

"You're so cute." I smiled.

"I got you a present."

"Zut alors!" Fuck me!

"Everything alright?" He asked, his voice peaking with anticipation.

"Ugh-yeah. Sorry. I stepped in something." I had not, but having forgotten about the present I owed him was just as bad. "It's nothing. I'm fine." He believed me, and his tone relaxed.

"I can't wait for you to see it. You're going to have a fit."

"Oh, really?"

"I hope."

"Well...what is it?" I asked feeling a bit excited.

"Not telling, you'll see when you get back."

"Not even a hint?"

"No."

"And if I promised sexual favors?" I heard him think about it, and could see the roguish smile creep across his face.

"Maybe."

"Alright. I'll give you one, for one."

"One what?" By now I had stopped paying attention to my surroundings, fully enthralled in the conversation.

"One whatever you want."

"One whatever I want." I didn't like the way he said it, which I found incredibly arousing. "Deal. Here's your hint; it's big."

"Oh, fuck you."

"Maybe...I'm so sorry my Love, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you." With this I took the phone from my head and ended the call. It took me only moments but I could smell the terror lingering in the air. Then there were the howls of a man lost to his animalistic urges.

"Ughhhhh...Fucking whore..." He mumbled, and instantly I felt the predator within me take over and I flew towards the gruesome scene.

* * *

~Ondre

I looked at the screen, unable to remove the smile from my face.

"My Lord, the Queen will meet you now." The servant standing in front of me said; she led me through a large set of double doors into what was Serana's office. She made several changes to the home once owned by Jackson Smith, and I'm sure no one appreciated them more than our Majesty.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." I greeted her. I made a note to remember her outfit to later describe it to Leon. Her hair was wrapped around a giant hairpiece and hung down all around her body. It swayed past her shoulders, down her back, over her elbows and even moved about her hardly noticeable hips.

"Master Ondre." The title was too much, but I held my tongue. "No surname or none that I know of. Is that true?"

"None you could pronounce."

"I may surprise you, Master Ondre." She said and leaned in, dropping her rear into the grand seat behind the massive desk, which appeared to be constructed from molded metal. I met her with silence, and she narrowed her eyes. "Interesting. I do expect a bit of secrecy from an Executioner, but if you're to be a part of this I will need your trust. Keep whatever secrets of yourself to yourself, but as your Queen you will submit to me, and do as I ask." She was an irritating little Queen, one I could so easily end here and now.

But that would do me more harm than good.

At least in the long run.

"The way I understand it, your companion has gone away. Where to?"

"New York City."

"Interesting." Was that all this woman could say? Staying my hand would be much more difficult if she continued. "Why is that?"

"Well, he didn't want to steal the life from a local." She adjusted her shoulder, but was otherwise unchanged.

"There is safety in numbers."

"There is no safety in an army of newborns."

"You are my Executioner, not my advisor! Another outburst like that and I rip out fangs." That was it. I lunged for her and held her against the wall behind her desk, fangs fully exposed.

"Give me another reason; you know I can do it." The room was now full of her babies; her servants and protectors, all of her blood. "You will respect me when you speak to me. Or I'll have your fangs, and then your heart. Do you understand me?" Clearly not the smartest of my ideas, but I rarely had a good one, and almost always went on the instinct that has served me for seven centuries. After an intense moment, she yielded and sent her servants from the room as I let her go.

She promptly turned away from me and gathered herself in a corner of the room.

"You have created a court of murderers and assassins. We do not serve you, we serve ourselves first, and should you wish to keep a court of killers and thieves, it is unwise to chain us like animals. We're known to bite."

"Soon. Soon you will see why I assembled the greatest and most prolific vampires of our time under my crown."

"I know why, yet I can't understand know how you've kept them together for so long without being torn apart."

"Because they are cowards! Just like the rest of us! Afraid of losing our immortality, our wealth, our lives. Alone, we are easy and weak but together we are a force to be reckoned with."

"We are a force to fear and eliminate!"

"The way to deal with an assassin is with an assassin. You know that better than any of us."

"Why did you bring me here, tonight? Something vile and despicable you'd rather not dirty your hands with?"

"Not tonight. I wished only to meet with you-"

"And test Leon's loyalty to you? There is none. He is loyal to me, as I am loyal to him."

"Soon enough, you will see that I am the only way through the darkness, dim as the path I walk may be."

"Are we quite done here?"

"Yes." She said and in rushed several of her vampire children; these were the same human servants I saw around her home on my first visit. She had become a very busy maker. I left without saying a word and hurried towards the front door. One of the caught me and presented a large, human sized box.

"A gift from the Queen." He said and thrust it on me. His attempt at bullying was ineffective and I rebuked him and sent him tumbling with a swat of my wrist.

I took the large box and made for my car, gently laying it in the seat beside me and took off from her grounds.

* * *

The man was a monster in every aspect of the word, but I could not allow him death, not yet. His victim lay broken and lifeless on the dirty ground in front of me. I had seen killings, mutilations, even eviscerations but this girl's body was beyond anything I'd committed. She was dead and pulverized.

I suppose fate has not abandoned the immortal. I would give this human the ability to exact her revenge, and the restraint to allow him to live.

"LOOK AT ME!" I pinned the horrible creature to the ground and snarled. "LOOK AT ME!" I roared. His eyes were burning with fear and fury, but his weak will crumbled under mine.

"You are worthless. I am your indisputable master, and you will serve me until the pitiful, disgusting life has been sapped from your body. I am God, and you are an ant under my brilliant glory. Now, I command you to stand here and not move a muscle until I tell you. Move and you die. Do you understand?" The man's face was vacant but he nodded. I now turned to the corpse on the ground. I scooped her in my arms, her limp neck laying her skull over my forearm in the most horrible way.

I saw her face, and through the bloodied flesh and broken bone I could see a beautiful creature, skin nearly as white as mine. I chose not to look at her any longer and called my minion.

"Thrall!" I called, the horrible little man coming to attention. "Where do you live?"

"Here, through this alley."

"Is there a yard? Or garden?"

"Yes. A small yard."

"Take me there. Now." The man began to come towards me and continued down the dark, lifeless alley. He stopped at a gate and awaited further instruction. "Open it." He did as I said, and I walked in seeing the perfect spot for the ancient ritual. "Bring me a shovel." The man silently strode off and entered his home which blocked off the yard from the street.

"Here, Master."

"Dig." He bent and shoved the instrument into the ground.

* * *

~Ondre

"Well...This is nice."

"Thought you'd like it."

"High ceilings,"

"Mmhmm."

"It's big,"

"Yah." Olivia grunted, looking at her watch. She was my estate manager, and we were meeting in the house she found suitable to my requests. Olivia always left the impression of indifference, and her impatience with me was something she'd never been afraid to exhibit.

"How many bedrooms?"

"Five, each with their own en-suite bathroom. Plus a dining hall, indoor pool with wet room, indoor garage, capable of storing...what was it? A convoy?"

"Yes, a convoy."

"Yeah, there's that."

"What else?" I looked around the room. It held the main stairwell that rose into the air and once it reached the wall it split and continued in two separate but identical staircases. The floor was a dark hardwood, the color of dried blood. There were open doorways on either side of the room. Behind me was the front door, and on either side of the central staircase were open doorways that led into a small room that then opened into several other rooms.

"There's a library, underground dance floor with bar, two offices, a couple of dens, even what I think was once a kitchen but now it's barren."

"How much is it going for?"

"We can buy it now for 11.8, but I could probably get them down to 9 or so."

"No need. Buy it. I've got the money."

"You do. I'll contact the realtor immediately and get back to you."

"Thank you, Olivia." At this she turned away from me and stepped outside, immediately making calls. I took the time to check on Leon, and decided to show him what Serana had given me after I put her in her place. It was a vase nearly as tall as Leon, and cast from a spectacular gleaming black stone that sparkled like it was crusted with polished gems. It had been in the room with Oliva and me and now I took out my new phone and captured it in a picture.

"Something special, I hope you like it." I typed and sent it to him, seeing Oliva come back in.

"Sign here." She handed me her tablet, which showed an empty signature line. I took her stylist and penned my name.

"Alright. Congratulations, you now own this...fortress. There's a vault in the subterranean levels. You can unlock it with your phone...Now." My phone vibrated and flashed with a message. I opened it to see it was a letter from the former owner. It congratulated me on giving them so much money, but also listed the secrets of the house; the location of the vault, how to get into it, the layout, and nearly everything else to know about it.

"Aside from a few formalities, which I'll have worked out by tomorrow night, it's yours. Go nuts. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting at Cicero's." One of my most successful businesses; the same restaurant I took Leon to on one of our first days reunited. With that she was gone, off to handle another of my lucrative affairs. I locked the door from my phone and began to climb the stairs. I found the largest bedroom, which was two to three times the size of the others, excluding the monstrous-sized bathroom. There were three coffins laying on the floor, Leon's, his progeny's, and mine.

I dialed Leon's number and got no answer. It worried me, but he could take care of himself. And had he been in real trouble, I'd know it. I left him a voice mail, in any case.

"Hello, Love. I can't wait to show you what I bought…and to see your face...I love you." I hung up the phone and got into the dark little box.

* * *

"Go in your house, and wait for sunrise. At dawn you are to acquire a set of clothes for this young girl, and return to your home; Speak to no one. Two hours after sunset you are to dig me up and await further instruction. Take these with you, and make sure they don't get dirty." I handed the man my jacket and shoes, as my pants were now ruined with dirt and blood. He took them inside and came back out, standing over the girl, who's name I still did not know, and myself.

I took my arm to my mouth and cut open the veins. Blood pooled up in a globe on my skin before streaming down my relatively small forearm. I put the wound to the split lips of the dead girl and let it run down into her belly. It dropped in and soon the wound healed and I laid her in the hole. I laid down beside her and held her dead body to mine.

"Cover us." I said to my thrall, and without question he began to sprinkle the cold dirt on to us.


	27. Rebirth

I could hear the trodding of my slave above us. He dug into the earth to free my progeny and myself from our tomb. The body beside me was lifeless, as was to be expected. But I had never made another vampire, and always expected something more…

It wasn't long before the monstrosity of a man removed enough soil for me to claw my way free.

"Back." I ordered him, and he obeyed; stepping back holding the shovel with a face of no intention. I leaned over the hole in the ground and brushed the soil from the corpse I had laid beside. Her face, which was once ruined and broken by the fury of a sad and sickening little man, was now firm and flawless. Her nose was pointed, with flat nostrils and a short tip. Her cheekbones were high, but shallow, and gave her face a soft line down the side.

Her lips were round, and pouty, with large eyes hidden behind long, dirty lashes. Her body was curvaceous with a beautiful and graceful arch in her spine. I watched her, waiting for something to happen. She was immobile, but the condition of her body proved she was now an immortal.

"Rise. As your maker I command you."

No reaction.

"I command you, as your maker, awaken!" Her eyes burst open, filled with the fear and anguish she experienced in her final human moments. She screamed, and jumped out of the grave and stood before me.

"What...What are you? What did you do to me?!"

"Tell me your name."

"Fuck you, tell me yours!" She had a fire I hadn't expected.

"I am Leon Alexandre Karston, and I am your maker." I spoke as slowly and calmly as possible.

"Maker? What do you mean? What are you talking about?" She was low to the ground, her hands locked in rabid claws.

"As your maker, I command you, sit on the ground." She flew to the ground, her legs crossed before she knew what she was doing.

"What did you do to me!? Tell me what you are!"

"As your maker I command you to listen." Her mouth shut, and her eyes focused on me, with panic flying all over her face. "Thrall." I called to the monster who took her life. He stepped forward and stopped a few feet behind me. "I found you in this alley only 20 hours ago. This man attacked, raped, and killed you."

The stare on her face broke and she crumbled in front of me.

"Do not cry, my child. For I have given you a wonderful gift. Your body was beyond recover, so I gave you rebirth."

"What are you saying?" Blood welled in the corners of her eyes and streamed down her face. I leaned in and touched her skin, showing the blood on my fingertips. She touched her face, looking at the blood and touched it again. Over and over, unable to understand what it meant.

"You are a vampire now."

"A-I'm a vampire?" I grabbed her arm and bit at her wrist. She screamed, but watched in awe as the wound healed before her eyes. "I'm a vampire?"

"Yes."

"I'm immortal? I'll…I'll live forever?" She had trouble with the questions, like she couldn't take it all.

"You will. I turned you, and gave you strength you would never know as a human. But my first lesson will be in restraint. This man killed you, and defiled your body. And you deserve to feast on his heart." Although my command had restrained her, I could see her newborn rage ripping at her chest. "Bring her the clothes you acquired." He silently walked into the home and appeared with a ratty, but wearable set of clothes.

"He did that to me?"

"He did." I felt the rage inside her boiling, it almost consumed me. "Think of this before you act, my child. He was the last to enter you in your human life; do you want him to be the first to enter your immortal body?" She was quiet, and looked from me to the rapist and back again. It was silent all around; the odd gust of wind became the only sound in these brief seconds. Then she erupted into a fit of screaming rage, throwing herself to the ground and clawing at the dirt.

"Get it out. It will not serve you well in this life..." I touched her back, feeling the blood bond between us. She screamed and cried until the blood covered her face in dirty clumps. After an hour, judging by the sky, she had quieted down. "May I have your name, child?" I asked her.

"Does it have to be my real name?"

"I will call you whatever you wish me to." She was quiet again.

"Artemis. I want to be Artemis...and I don't want to see him again..."

* * *

I did not want to, but Artemis had to wash the blood and dirt from her flesh, and was forced to do so in the bathroom of the man who had killed her. I'm sure it was horribly painful, but her pain and suffering had just begun. Yet, from a nightmarish ending, a new beginning arose. I would do right by this girl and teach her everything I knew; never again would she be a victim.

She emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body.

"I...I tried to drink some water...but I puked it up..." Her face was full of terror and confusion.

"You are a vampire, and you will thirst for the rest of your days. But no amount of water will sate it. You want blood, the warm, living blood of a mortal."

Her fangs shot from her mouth and she jumped in shock. Her finger reluctantly reached for her mouth, tip touching the razor-sharp point.

"They're your fangs," I revealed mine too. "They'll do that for next few years, until you can control your urges."

"Urges?" Her voice was timid, and I was soon seeing why this poor woman had been taken advantage of. She was submissive, even suffering the agony of rebirth she, for the most part, remained calm and intent on listening to me. I touched her stomach, she flinched and turned away. I wouldn't let her go and shot at her, wrapping her body in my arms, laying my hands over her stomach.

"Here…you want to kill." I touched her, over her heart. "Here you want to weep." I touched her throat. "And here, you want to drown yourself in blood." I let go and moved away from her. "You are a vampire now, and your human days are over. But I can show you that life does not stop at death. I have lived for nearly a hundred years-"

"A hundred years?"

"Ninety-seven, since I was created."

"How old were you when..." She couldn't make peace with it, and I did not force her to say the words.

"I was turned a few days after I celebrated my 25th birthday."

"I'm 25..." She said with her mind clearly elsewhere.

"You may never see them again; your family." From the broken look on her face I could see I had guessed right. "If you love them, you must forget them, and leave them behind. As your maker-"

"No...Please!" She interrupted.

"Then don't make me say it. Leave them behind, or I'll force you too."

"You can't...I've got to see them. Please...please?"

"No. Ask once more and you'll never ask again." She turned her head from me, and blood once again began to fall from her eyes. I remember the night after my creation, and having only that to compare to this, this wasn't nearly as bad.

"Do it. Please...If I can't be with them, they have no purpose in my life..." Her family life had been hard; the way she so easily tossed them aside. And although she asked me to do it, I could see she wanted nothing more than to see them again but it could not be. A newborn vampire is a loaded gun, capable of blowing entire families apart.

"I am so sorry. You are never to see your family again, or anyone you once loved, this, as your Maker, I command of you." She was solid as the words struck my blood in her body.

"You think it horribly cruel of me, to be given to this life when you had no choice in it. But your former life is gone, and you must leave it all behind. I murdered my family in a horrible fit of unrestrained rage, and I will not allow another to suffer as I have."

Artemis was quiet, and unable to look at me. But she took the clothes from me and walked into a room across the hall. I honestly expected to find my progeny taken off on me, but she stood outside the door holding the clothes I had taken off the night before.

"Can we leave now?" She asked, her sad eyes flicking up at me. With this I dressed and led Artemis from the home.

"Give me a moment..." I left her at the door, her eyes trained on the night sky. It is a beautiful sight, even with the eyes of a mortal, but with a vampire's eyes the entire universe shines bright. I was envious, as the first look through the eyes of an immortal had been enough to knock me over.

There was work to be done in this house. I took the life of the murderer and threw him in the hole he left us in. In a flash he was buried and the ground lay evenly atop him. Blazing through the house I sprayed the walls with the noxious cans of lighter fluid, tossing the emptied containers into a large metal basin in the center of the back room of the house. I flicked the sparker, igniting the fluid within the metal case and tossed the heavy lighter in the liquid.

"Run." I said appearing at her side, grabbing her arm and rushing her through the darkness.

* * *

~Ondre

"Yeah, that's real nice." Olivia drew out her syllables, in her most comedic of ways. The bed was massive, easily as large as the entire bedroom of the home Jackson Smith gave to Leon and me. It was made from wood recovered from a swamp in my home of Hungary, each log as wide as Leon's shoulders and taller than me. They were a rich, verdant-brown, the foot board made of two stacked together between the lower bedposts. Its headboard matched, only taller, as it was constructed of four massive cylinders of lumber.

"So that's a yes?"

"Yes. We're keeping this. How much did you say it costs?"

"You really don't want to know."

"Maybe you're right..." She handed me her tablet computer, I saw the price of the bed.

"Painful?"

"No, that's nothing."

"Says the man who owns half the state."

"Not nearly."

"Is that all?" She took her computer back and I climbed atop the bed, imagining Leon lying beside me.

"No, where's that chandelier?"

"The ridiculous glass chandelier?"

"Crystal, and yes, the ridiculous crystal chandelier."

"It's downstairs, awaiting payment."

"Damn, you're good."

"I know." I took her computer and signed my name again.

"Have it brought up here. I want it in this room."

"Yes, Master. As the Master commands." She was certainly venomous, but I was immune.

The phone in the pocket of my coat went off and I answered it, hearing my Love on the other end.

"Ondre!" His voice was stressed. "I miss you." He rushed the words.

"I miss you, my Love."

"I found one..." He was now a maker, at the behest of an idiot queen.

"That's where you've been." He laughed, and I could hear him relaxing.

"She renamed herself; wants to be called Artemis."

"Powerful name."

"She was dead when I found her…Her body was being used by her murderer." The way he said the words, I knew what he meant to say.

"How does she feel?"

"Well, she hasn't killed anyone, yet."

"I'd say she's taken it pretty well then."

"It's almost like she doesn't want to kill, despite what I know her body is telling her."

"Keep an eye on her, you can't trust a newborn. They're impulsive, and uncontrollable."

"I will...I think we're going to stay here for another night. I want to teach her to feed before I bring her back."

"Smart." It was best he did this, but I missed him the same.

"I wish you were here, this room is amazing."

"I'm sure it is. It cost enough for incredible, but I'll take amazing." He laughed, and we both took a moment of silence.

"I miss you." He said what we both felt.

"I miss you." I paused, listening to his comforting silence.

"So, why did the Queen give you that vase?" His voice sounding confused.

"I really don't know. Did you like it?"

"It's beautiful, definitely keep it."

"I will, then." I saw Olivia in the doorway, tapping her nails on the wood.

"I'm sorry, Ondre-" He said before I could. "I've got to go. Maker's business." I smiled at this, his timing perfect.

"I love you, see you soon." I said.

"I love you, Ondre." He said and ended the call. I wanted him by my side, and felt an ache without him here, but fought it and went to see what Olivia needed of me.

* * *

Artemis held a knife in her hand and cut into her arm. Each slice she made healed before the next could be laid down.

"Was this something you did before you died?"

"Just recently."

"For what reason?"

"You need just one?" I was quiet, letting her guide the conversation from here. "I'm sorry. This is all too much for me. Can I just be alone?" She asked quietly, a great tempest of emotions in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot. You need to learn to feed without killing."

"What...what does it taste like?" She looked up at me.

"Feeding?" She nodded the slightest bit, and I sat down beside her, taking the knife from her hand. "It's incredible. It's the greatest feeling in the world, to open the flesh of another and take their life for yours." Her fangs had revealed themselves, and she reacted in fear.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

"Why?"

"Consider it the vampire equivalent to teething."

"Does it stop?"

"No, you just get used to it." She touched them, unsure how to work them. "These muscles." I touched her face, above her upper lip. "They control the fangs." I demonstrated, and after a few strained attempts at muscular isolation, she was able to pull them back in.

"When you guys came out of the coffin-" What the humans called the Great Revelation, "I never thought I'd be one of you."

"You are, and you should refer to yourself as such. You're a vampire, you're immortal, something very few are able to say."

"Is it worth it? Living forever, watching the people you loved age and die?"

"I could not say."

"How many of...us are there?" She stumbled over the word, but said it regardless.

"Many, many thousands."

"Do you know any?"

"Know any what? Other vampires?" She nodded, and her ignorance struck me hard in the gut. There was so much she didn't know, so much she had to learn. "I know many, I even know the Queen of Virginia, personally."

"Virginia has a queen?"

"She does, until recently King Jackson Smith held wore her crown, but now the throne belongs to an Italian vampire named Serana Torllona." Artemis wore a blank stare, having obvious difficult. "Don't worry, you'll meet her soon enough."

"Is that who you were talking to? On your phone?"

"No, that was Ondre."

"Who's that?" I chuckled, and took a breath before telling her.

"Ondre is my partner, my companion, and my Lover."

"You're gay?" She interrupted me.

"Yes, that's nothing new either."

"No, no. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"I took no offense"

"How old is Ondre?"

"700."

"Wow-" Her eyes widened. "He's 700 years old?"

"Yes. But there are many others older than him. Have you seen Nan Flanagan?"

"The blond vampire-lady?"

"Yes, she's over 800. The former King of Mississippi was nearly 3,000 years old."

"3,000?"

"Yes. Age determines strength, making me stronger than you, and Ondre stronger than me. Regardless of a vampire's form, their physical strength comes from their age."

"What about the sun? Does it really..."

"Kill us?"

"Well..."

"Yes, it will. It will burn you to ash."

"Does holy water work?"

"No. That's an absurd myth."

"Can we die?"

"We most certainly can, in any number of grotesque ways. I've seen a vampire's head ripped off, another's heart torn from her chest. Your immortal life does not keep you from death."

"Where are you taking me tomorrow?"

"Virginia, it's where I live."

"I've never been there before."

"It's beautiful."

* * *

"Gah!" She spat the mouthful back into the bottle. "That tastes like shit!" She tossed the bottle into the trashcan in front of us.

"You have to find one you can drink. You will not be hunting under my roof."

"Hunting?"

"Feeding from the living." I handed her another bottle and went to answer the door before it could be reached. "Come in." I opened the door before the man could even grab the handle. He was attractive, hairy with broad shoulders. He wore a white cotton robe embroidered with the Eternia insignia. "The arch to the right." I led him into the room where Artemis sat. "Just because you won't be doing it under my roof, doesn't mean you can't do it. But first I must know you can control yourself. Come, catch his gaze like I taught you."

Artemis came to where I was, her fangs drawn, something I don't think she even noticed. She leaned in and zeroed her eyes on his, and I could see the blank stare take his face as he fell under her hypnotic will.

"You must become death, empty your mind and take his into yours." I instructed her.

"Okay…" She groaned quietly, furthering her influence over him.

"Tell him it's going to be okay. Reassure him you won't hurt him."

"I'm not going to hurt you, everything's going to be okay." Her voice was slow and even, taking the cadence of a vampire inexperienced at glamouring.

"Now, make him tell you something, something personal and private. Pull it from his mind into yours."

"Everything's going to be just fine, as long as you tell me your deepest, darkest secret."

"I'm addicted to V." The man said slowly with an emotionless face. "I've sucked a vampire's cock for it before."

"Oh my God!" Artemis shouted, breaking the spell. I caught his eyes and enforced my will on him.

"Artemis here is going to feed from you tonight. Do you have any problems with that?"

"No..." The man said.

"Good. After she's finished, you're going to leave this room with no recollection of what transpired here tonight. It's nothing but a blur."

"A blur..." He said vacantly.

"That's right, you couldn't remember it if you tried." I turned away to look at Artemis. "Come, listen to his pulse." It was steady and even, slowed by my relaxing influence. "Do you hear how strong it sounds?"

"It sounds like music."

"It's the sweetest music you'll ever know. Bite him."

"You want me to bite him?"

"Yes, bite him." I grabbed his head and turned it away. "Here, on the neck." She kneelt down beside me and seeming to tremble with fear and anticipation, sank her teeth into his flesh. "Make a seal with your lips. Drink slowly, savor it. Slower, let his pulse guide you." She slowed her feeding, the human grunting in pain every few seconds.

"That's enough, stop, you'll kill him." I saw her fight it, but she had the strength to stop and pull away. She wiped her mouth and stared at the blood pouring from his flesh. I split my finger open and dabbed my blood on the wounds in his neck.

"What'd you just do?" She asked, watching intently.

"Our blood is miraculous, able to banish any ailment from the mortal body, in small doses. It's incredibly powerful, and as this man said, highly addictive. You must not use more than a drop or two when closing the wounds."

I caught the man's gaze again. "You're leaving now, but before you go, can you tell me what happened here tonight?"

"I don't recall. It's all a blur."

"Good. You may go." I said, the man stood and left the room, shutting the door behind him. "So, how did that feel?" I asked her. She was speechless, touching her fangs over and over again.

"That was amazing. I could feel his heart pumping blood into my mouth...Does it always feel like that?"

"No, it gets better with age."

"Really?"

"Yes. Wait until you try fucking while feeding."

"...What's that like?"

"You'll have to find out for yourself."

I could see Artemis' potential, she could be a great vampire, and all it would take was time I had plenty of that to spare.

* * *

~Ondre

"-Well, she didn't kill him."

"Then I'd say she's ready."

"Are you sure?" He asked again, his voice nervous and unsure.

"You're her maker, you tell me if she's ready." Leon fell silent, and let out a long sigh.

"I think she is. I can't explain it, but it's like I'm waiting for her to lose control and rip someone's head off. I think she's suppressing all of it.

"She could be, she was made not even a day ago, and awoke to an entire new world. You've prevented her from contacting her family-"

"You know it's best for all of them."

"I'm not disagreeing; you more than anyone know what she's capable of doing to them." I could feel that my words hurt him more than I anticipated. "I don't mean to-"

"I know what you meant." We were both quiet now, I felt incredibly foolish for having hurt him. "I can't wait to see you."

"I can't either. I'll be at the airport when you land."

"See you then. I love you."

"I love you, Leon."

"Goodbye, Ondre." He hung up the phone and I prepared myself for his homecoming. Sunset was still nearing, and I began for the massive, double doors that led from our new bedroom into the incredible new home I recently bought. I hoped he would like it, and enjoy the chance to fill it with everything he'd ever wanted. As domesticated as it sounds, it was all I wanted.

The hall was wide and open to the lower level of the grand house. I reached the end of the stairs just as the light-blocking technology of the building fell away and revealed the dark night sky. I continued out of the doors, which I locked from the limousine with my phone as we took off.

Leon and Artemis wouldn't land for a few hours, which gave me enough time to finalize a few things with Olivia.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There's no going back from it."

"It's exactly what I want. He is my equal, and he should feel like it."

"You've been together how long now?"

"Watch your tongue, or I'll tear it out." She straightened her back, and her submission was instantly obvious. "He was a part of my life for over 30 years, and the years I spent without him were the worst of my seven centuries of existence. I'll not lose him again." Was all I had to say about it to her, and she said nothing in return, only held out her tablet, once more for my authorization.

"The man will be by your new home an hour after sundown to finalize the process"

"Thank you, Olivia." What she thought of my private affairs was none of my business, but I didn't care either way. I was her maker and her boss, not her concern.

I made Olivia in the years I spent without Leon, so her skepticism of him is not without warrant. But it was insulting. I was everything to Leon, I knew it, Jackson knew, Jacqueline knew, I can't imagine someone seeing us together and being unable to pick up on it. What's more is they could see he was everything to me; he made me strong, but was my ultimate weakness.

Olivia had never seen Leon, much less he and I together. Had she, I imagine it would inspire more jealousy than understanding. Her lust for me was palpable, but her desires would never be fulfilled. I've not had sex with a woman for centuries; I haven't enjoyed it since before I was made.

She had her own life, which was flowering under the glowing light of my great wealth and I was proud of her successes. She had become a maker at a very young age, but the two of them were incredibly happy together, her progeny recently promoted to Sheriff of Area 109 in Washington. She missed him terribly, but this would not be her last night in Virginia. She was to be staying with Leon, Artemis, and I for a time, until I no longer needed her assistance. Which to say she would be leaving when Leon stopped buying extravagant and ridiculous furniture.

"I'm sorry. I was out of line." She said in a solemn voice.

"Thank you, but there is no need. I care not what you think of him, or me, but you will respect us both. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. I have a car waiting for you outside; it will take you to my home. You can pick you room if you like, just have the driver bring you a coffin up to which one you like. I'll be there soon. Go." I waved her out of the back office in the building. I exited behind her and took to the sky once I entered the night.

Leon's flight landed some time after and the moment I saw him I took off through the terminal and caught him in my arms. He smelled incredible, and to hold in my arms was an experience I'll never take for granted again.

He sighed in my arms and pulled me tighter to his body.

"I missed you..." He whispered and kissed my face. "I missed you so much."

"My Love, I missed you." I kissed his head and pulled him on me. His legs wrapped around my back and his hands pulled on my chin.

"We're making such a scene."

"Good." I kissed his lips and held him by the back of his neck as he let go and lowered himself down on his absurdly high heels.

"My, those are sexy." They were a shining, space-age black trimmed with gold, with a heel-spike as long as my cock.

"Thank you. I thought you'd like them." He twisted his legs around and pulled up his sturdy, structured bright yellow coat, showing off his perky, round ass tight in a pair of leather pants.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"Maybe." He turned around and held out his hand to the young, newborn who waited patiently by his bag. She was as tall as him, which for a woman was tall, with a full and rounded figure. "Artemis, this is Ondre."

"Hello, Artemis. It's a pleasure to welcome you into my family." The girl looked as if she couldn't respond, and that if I touched her, she'd crumble before me.

"Hello, Ondre. I hear you're pretty old."

"Quite. I just celebrated my 700th year."

"Wow." She held herself together with her arms around her stomach.

"I've got a surprise for the both of you. Let's get home." I wrapped my arm around Leon's waist and we began for the exit. Artemis followed with a pace like she had nowhere else to go. And in all honesty, she didn't.

She climbed into the limousine first, only after marveling at it.

"A limo? Are you like, rich, or something?"

"Or something." Leon told her, and she entered. I shut the door behind her and took Leon in my arms. I grabbed his leg and pulled it over me, my hand slipping under his coat, forcing the two of us together.

"I've never needed you so badly." He breathed into my neck.

"I'll take you right here."

"In front of all these humans...?"

"Fuck them."

"No...Not here. Please." His hands pushed me away, put pulled at the fabric of my shirt. Slowly, we let go of each other. There were staring humans as we broke our embrace and got into the vehicle, but I was not bothered with them.

* * *

~Ondre

"Where are we going, Ondre?"

"Detour. Don't worry, we'll be there soon." Artemis looked completely lost, Leon less so. He sat next to me, his progeny across from us.

"How old are you, Artemis?"

"25." Her answer was short and she avoided looking at me. In time she would find the power to move on and accept her new life; for some of us it takes longer. I held Leon's hand and his eyes hovered over me. He smiled, and laid his head down in my lap, pulling his legs on the seat. Artemis watched, almost amazed a vampire could act so human. I touched his hair, pulling gently at his shining, gold and brown hair.

"You two are cute together. It looks like you belong..." She shook her head as she spoke. "-Together."

"Thank you."

"We've been together a long time. I couldn't imagine life without him." Leon said, laying his hand on my leg. He dragged his fingertips across the inside of my thigh, certainly a bit too far inside to be proper, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Mindlessly, I reached over his body and laid my hand on his shoulder, the other still playing in his hair.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked, turning his head towards me. "I know we're not going home."

"Do you?"

"At least not the home I know." My silence betrayed me, and he pushed himself up. "Did you buy a new house? Is that where we're going?"

"I guess there's no point in hiding it now. Yes, I bought a house, and that's where we're going now."

"What about our old one?"

"We couldn't bring another in to that house, this one's bigger."

"How much bigger?"

"Much bigger." A smile streaked across his face and he grabbed my hand, laying a kiss in its center.

"Where's it at?"

"You'll see soon enough." I took his hand and pulled him to me, wrapping my arm around him. I saw Artemis looking at him with the eyes a newborn has for their maker. They were lustful and angry, full of fear and admiration. I could not be sure of what eternity had for her, but I knew Leon would never be hers.

"How big is my closet?" Leon asked with an excited but serious look on his face. It was his seriousness that made me laugh, my Killer asking about the size of a closet was something I'd never anticipated.

"Easily as large as our old bedroom."

"You're kidding me, right?" Artemis looked up at us. "You're a vampire, and you're talking about a house? And a closet?"

"Yes. We are." Leon responded. "Something you have to add?" His voice was authoritative, but soft and calm. I sat quietly, and let him handle his newborn.

"We're vampires...Shouldn't we be like, killing people...Or something?" The girl was horridly awkward when speaking, and sounded afraid of her own voice.

"I'm sorry, Artemis, but in this nest we do not kill."

"Nest? 'Tha'fuck's a nest?" The girl's grammar was horrible and struck Leon as much as myself.

"A nest is the term for a group of vampires who share residence. Most nests are formed of one older, dominant vampire, and a small number of younger, subservient vampires." She scrunched her pretty little face, her pale grey eyes seemingly on the verge of flooding with blood. "I don't like that-" He turned to me.

"What?"

"Us being called a nest. Makes me think of those horrible, murderous creatures."

"Vampires?" He smiled at me, but quickly reformed his features into a scowl.

"Then what are we...Exactly?" Artemis timidly asked.

"A family. I suppose." Leon raised his eyebrow, looking from Artemis to me.

"Strangest family I've ever seen..." She trailed off, scratching at her wrist with her nail.


	28. Indulgences of an Immortal

My strange family had sprung up before me; my big, brutish barbarian and my awkward, little, victimized newborn. I didn't know if I was ready for it, but there was nothing that could be done to change it. I knew I could live with Ondre, he was my other half, but Artemis would prove something altogether different. I was both excited, and frightened at the thoughts of her future.

We pulled into a gated area, surrounded by a thick, tall stone and concrete fence; the twisted iron gate receding into the fence like the one at Queen Serana Torllona's house. There was a beautiful collection of the most wonderful trees. There were tall and skinny spruce trees, barren oaks, even the dark and twisted wood of an incredibly large cherry tree. The limousine pulled through the little grove along a wide and solid black driveway, approaching a massive home.

It was blocky, but elegant and colonial, with French-inspired southern styling. Standing at the front door was a vampire I didn't recognize; she was tall, and thin, with her hair pulled tight on the back of her skull.

"That's Olivia, my Love. She's one of mine."

"You made her?" I turned back to Ondre.

"I did. Years ago, she's something of my accountant; helped negotiate the price on the house. Her companion is soon to being promoted to sheriff."

"Nice. Must make you proud." Ondre shrugged, smiled and squeezed my hand.

"She's staying with us until you're done with her."

"What would I need her for?"

"To pay for the things you're going to fill our house with." He smiled at me. "Honestly, did you think I'd by someone else's things for you? Never." He kissed my hand and I instantly felt a burning in my chest for him.

"I love you Ondre." We kissed, and the limousine came to a stop. The driver appeared at the door and opened it. He was a small, husky, Asian vampire, with stringy hairs on his face.

"I love you." He held my face to his, and rolled his lips over mine. "I can't wait to show you the bed..." He teased and Artemis, with an uncomfortable look on her face, exited the vehicle. He and I climbed out a bit more slowly. Ondre forced me out first, taking the opportunity to playfully slap my rear. I won't lie, I liked it.

"Hello, Leon. My name is Olivia." She said, holding out her hand. I took it, and dipped my head.

"Hello. I understand you'll be staying here for a while."

"Yes." She seemed to not want to say more, but that wasn't good enough for me.

"You helped him buy this house, correct?" She nodded. "Have you been inside?"

"Yes, just stepped out when I heard you at the gate."

"How is it?"

"It's beautiful, a bit empty, but I hear you will soon be changing that."

"Let's hope. I do love spending money." She grumbled some kind of laugh, which in truth was more of a groan than anything else. "Olivia, this is Artemis. She is my progeny." I stepped aside and Artemis took a step forward, totally avoiding Olivia's eyes.

"Hello, Ma'am." She said in her mousy voice.

"Please, call me Olivia." She was friendly with my newborn, but something about the way she acted seemed off. Almost like she couldn't wait to stop being in my presence.

"Come on, Leon. I want to show you around. Would you like to come, Artemis?" Ondre spun me in his arms, tucking me by his side.

"I guess..." Artemis shrugged, and followed behind Ondre and I. Olivia, for some reason, made a point of being the last one inside.

"Wow..." The front room was solid white, with a bold and rich, dark, hardwood floor. In the center of the room at the far wall was a large stairwell that rose into the air and split into two separate staircases that went higher and then seemed to open into a large hallway.

"Through here is the pool and the sauna-"

"We have an indoor pool?" I asked.

"We do." He tickled at my hip as we walked through the doorway which revealed another smaller room with several other doorways. "Through here." He led us through the one on the far right. "The one on the left leads back here too." He said and the room we stepped into was totally different from the one we left.

There was clean white tile on the walls, with large, multi-color tile covering the floor. The pool was submerged in the center of the long room. Its walls were lined with glittering golden stone and its bottom a bold and solid black marble. At the back of the room was a wooden door with a wood burning that read 'WET'.

"What's back there?" I asked.

"The wet-room; a place I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of." He slipped a finger under my waistband. I'm sure the women around us saw but they needed to get used to it because it would never stop. After we saw the pool, which I was sure to be diving into before dawn, Ondre showed us the dining hall, the kitchen, both of which were totally empty. Then we saw the library which was already full of books.

"Most of these are from my collection. But please, feel free to add." He said, his voice sounding over all of us. It was nice seeing him so accepting of Artemis; he had been a maker several times before, and had much more experience than I when dealing with newborn. He was my maker when my creator ran away.

Next was the den, the study, the garage, an office, and we ended back in the front room.

"Upstairs are the bedrooms. Ours is the largest, but they all have their own bathroom, alongside the two standalone bathrooms at the far end of the upstairs hall."

"How many bedrooms are there?" I asked.

"5, counting ours." Ondre began up the stairs, the rest of us following behind him. "Artemis, if you'd like you can choose which room you want. They're fairly empty now, but that should soon change." Ondre sent Artemis down the hall on her own, Olivia taking after her. "This..." Ondre said, reaching out for the door knobs of the massive double doors in front of us. "-Is our room." He thrust open the doors and the first thing to catch my eyes was the enormous crystal light hanging from the center of the ceiling. I was completely overcome and tackled Ondre to the floor.

* * *

~Ondre

Leon pinned me to the ground, his arm around my neck and his lips gingerly laying sweet kisses on mine. I rolled him over and held him close to my body, lifting him and making for the massive log-framed bed at the far end of the room.

"Where the fuck did you find that?" He climbed off me and walked on his knees to the footboard of the bed. I took off after him and mounted his little body, burying my face in his neck.

"Olivia found it."

"Damn...She has...connections-" His voice trailed; I pulled his yellow coat off his arms and slipped my hand under his shirt, and pulled at his abdomen. "Wait. Wait, Ondre! Wait!" He shoved me off of him, something I think he enjoyed doing, and ran for the doors of the bedroom, shutting them and grabbing a long black box from his coat before bounding back to the bed. He sat on his knees and eagerly handed me the solid black box.

"What's this?" I asked, taking it from him.

"It's your birthday present. Happy belated birthday!" He smiled, and tilted his head, wanting me to open the parcel. The box was a long and skinny rectangle, with the top decorated with a sparkling, golden bow. I peeled open the top and saw a black velvet bag, its drawstring and tight-pulled opening at the brim on the heavy cardboard.

Leon leaned on his fingertips, focusing on my face as I pulled out the bag. Instantly, from the shape gravity forced on the bag, I knew what it was.

"Something tells me this is a present meant more for you, than myself."

"What gave you that idea?" He bit his bottom lip and rocked back on his knees. I slipped my finger into the silken bag and felt icy-cold metal. It was smooth; I drew open the bag and poured it into my hand. It was as long as my hand, fingertip to wrist, and as wider than four of my fingers clustered together. The long, smooth shaft was a shining gold metal, with a round base for gripping that was wider than the toy itself.

It was a dildo: A shining, golden dildo.

Leon leaned over, flicked a switch at the base, and watched as it came alive in my hand.

_Bzzzzzzz-!_ The machine inside it rattled to life and it began to vibrate.

"Interesting..." I said, turning the device around in my hand.

"I thought you'd enjoy getting to use it-" He leaned forward then cupped my hand around the solid shaft, and took it in his. "On me." He pulled me to his body and laid down in the bed in front of me. He held the toy in his hands and shut it off, touching its round tip to his mouth.

Within seconds his pants, shirt, underwear, and sheer socks were thrown about on the floor. Leon was underneath of me with my fangs puncturing the sweet and forgiving flesh of his neck, one hand around his cock the other around the one he bought for us. It was large, not longer than me, but certainly wider. Leon said he could take it and I didn't doubt him, he was an expert in this.

I pushed it into his tight, pink flesh and his face twisted in a sudden jolt of pain.

"A'rrêtez!" He shouted at me and shivered as I pulled the cold metal away.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No more than usual..." He laid his hand in mine and forced the toy to the bed, where we left it off. I could hear footsteps outside our door; they lingered, and didn't begin to move away. "Artemis?" Leon called out, turning his attention to the door.

"Could I talk to you...Please?" I could see him weighing the decision, and so I made it for him.

"He'll be right out." Leon turned around to give me a morose look and climbed off the bed, slipped into his pants and threw on his coat before opening the door and stepping out to meet with Artemis. He was a maker now, and I'd not allow him the lapse in responsibility for sex. Not this time, at least.

* * *

"I have to sleep in...this?" She stood over her coffin, which for all intents and purposes was a very beautiful resting place.

"Until I can have a bed delivered, yes." Artemis sighed and for the first time since New York, she looked up at me.

"I can't..." Her pale grey eyes seemed to tremble, and her bottom lip stuck out the slightest bit.

"Why not?"

"I-I'm afraid..." Just then, a bloody tear fell from her eyes. She felt it glide over her cheek, and touching her face she saw the streak of blood.

She screamed. It was loud, and sirenous, enough to cause me to immediately slam my hand over her mouth.

"You cry blood. You vomit blood. Had you been born a man, you'd shoot blood from your cock. It's nothing to scream about." I said slowly, and let her go. She was shaken by my actions, but more so by the information she'd been given. "There's around four hours until dawn, would you like to come out with me?"

"How do you know when the sun comes up?"

"I can feel it. Can't you?"

"I don't know what half the shit I feel is..."

"You'll get used to that...Let's get you some clothes."

* * *

"Any bed, it doesn't matter what kind, she wants one."

"What's wrong with the coffin?" Ondre asked. His voice was quiet in the speaker of my phone.

I had brought Artemis to the part of town that had taken to the Great Revelation. We were in a small boutique named 'Moonlyt'. I didn't understand the incorrect spelling, but Artemis didn't even seem to notice. A woman in a respectable black dress came by and handed me a tall champagne glass of TruBlood.

"Merci." I took the glass from her and made my way towards somewhere more private, but considering the vampires in the store with me nothing would truly be private.

"She's afraid of it."

"Why?"

"She wouldn't say, I have to assume she was claustrophobic."

"Was." His voice made certain I understood his meaning. To him, a vampire should be fearless and able to conquer anything presented to them. He was the embodiment of that creed, and I his apprentice.

"She's afraid, and I will not force her into the coffin."

"Someday, she'll have to sleep in one."

"Someday, but not while I can stop it. Get Olivia on it."

"My, my…You've gotten commanding tonight."

"I haven't had my medicine in a very long time."

"Shame." He chuckled. "I'll see to it Artemis has a bed before dawn."

"Thank you, Ondre."

"Of course. Go on; get back to spending my money."

"You know I will." I paused, not wanting to let him go.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you." And he was gone. I looked at the screen, which lazily faded to black. I turned it over in my hands and slipped it into my jacket, which I had buttoned to conceal my bare chest.

"I love those shoes!" Said a female vampire who had somehow snuck up on me.

"Thank you." I touched the heel to the floor, and tapped it twice. She was pretty; a soft face with friendly eyes and short, brown hair curled alongside her face.

"Where did you get them?"

"They were a gift. I couldn't even begin to guess where they got something this fabulous in a size this big." The girl laughed and touched my arm playfully. She smiled and began for her exit.

"Well, it was nice meeting you..."

"Leon," I held out my hand and she took it in hers with a light and airy touch.

"Diana. It was nice to meet you, Leon."

"Likewise, Diana." We smiled and she walked by me and once she entered the night, disappeared into the darkness.

"She was pretty...You know her?" Artemis asked from nearby. I turned around and saw my newborn looking how she should be. Her long, milk-chocolate colored hair bounced about her shoulders. Below them was a dress made from a patterned silk fabric that resembled lapis lazuli.

If you've never seen a stone of lapis lazuli, I strongly recommend finding one. It's incredibly beautiful; a light turquoise stone with bands and splatters of gold and brown all throughout. It was one of my favorite stones, its beauty not in its cut, or its shine, but in its imperfections.

"Beautiful." I stepped towards her and touched the fabric. It was cool, and slippery, the way silk should feel. Her breasts were concealed by a textured breastplate of sorts, which covered them completely. Below that was the rest of the dress, its attention-grabbing fabric fluttering and flowing down to the floor.

"You like it?" She asked looking up from beneath her brow.

"I think it's amazing, but too much like a dress to look good on me." Artemis laughed and turned her head away.

"It's expensive though..." She scrunched her face in what I took as disappointment.

"And? Remember, we're rich-"

"Or something." She looked up and smiled.

Artemis' beauty was beyond reproach. She had the figure of a woman, not the sticks that walked around us; she had breasts, and hips. But her envy of these tiny women was obvious. I couldn't help but feel angry as the bright look on her face vanished and was replaced by a dark, and saddened landscape.

I stepped forward and grabbed Artemis' arm. "Did you find anything else you liked?" This snapped her attention back to me, but only for a moment. Her eyes drifted away immediately and fell on the human at the far end of the room.

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Is that the burning I feel in my throat?" I nodded once, and she instantly responded. "I'm fucking starving!" Her fangs came out at this, something I could see she regretted.

"Right there." I touched her face again, showing her how to work her new teeth. "These muscles." I exposed mine, and showed her, slowly, how to retract them. "There you go. Not too hard. Let's pay for these and get you some blood. You're so pale." I walked away, and heard her laugh once I got a few paces away.

"-Cause I'm a vampire. Duh..." She said to herself, understanding the humor.

* * *

Artemis had found a few things she liked. The dress she wore, along with the pastel blue pumps on her feet. There was also a pink shirt with frilly cuffs, this I had to have myself. Surprisingly enough, she and I were able to wear each other's clothes. Immediately, I could see the fun we'd be having in my closet.

Along with the dress, shoes, and two identical tops, there was a dark bolero-style jacket, a pair of long and skinny-leg pants; something I had to comment on.

"You wear this style?" I held them up.

"I like them." She said quietly.

"I love them, I've got a few just like them at home-" Home. I had a home, and a family. I wasn't alone anymore.

This may seem trivial, but having been alone the past half-century left me with a longing for community and acceptance I couldn't explain. Ondre had certainly been the cause of my pain, as he left me alone when I thought our love was eternal. I suffered unending torment from this fact. I couldn't think of these truths and not feel the intense hurt in my chest from his absence. The months he and I had recently spent together were the happiest of my existence. If anything, they proved we loved each other and were not bound by our murderous habits.

"Are you there!?" She grabbed my arm, and I became incredibly aware at how unfocused I had just been.

"Comment?" I asked, my French flawless.

"Oh, tu parle Français?" Artemis asked, her French was obviously American, but well-spoken.

"Oui. Je suis Français."

"You are? What's it like?" The woman behind the counter snickered at Artemis, but a grow shut her up instantly; a trick I learned from Ondre.

"I don't know what being French is like, I've never been anything but who I am. As for France, sadly, I couldn't tell you, I never saw it. My mother, grandmother, and my mother's husband all immigrated here when I was en utero."

"Your mother's husband?"

"I am the product of rape." Her eyes turned to slivers and she looked away from me.

"My Goodness, such heavy conversation for the check-out counter." The lady who presented me the glass said, punching in numbers on the keyboard of her computer. I said nothing to her, and presented her the black credit card Ondre gave me before I left. Her eyes widened and she nearly gasped as she turned the card over in her hands.

"Is this for real?"

"It had better be." I snarled and made sure to watch her from this point on. She worked it through her little scanning machine and after entering a select amount of numbers, handed it back to me, along with a small, tablet computer and a stylist. I penned Ondre's name and tucked his card back carefully into my wallet.

"Here you are." She handed me a large bag, containing the things we'd bought and with a smile, thanked me for our patronage.

"Allez-vien." I touched Artemis' arm and we left, heading home.

* * *

"When are you going to wear this?" He asked, holding up my new pink shirt. I gave him a look and snatched it from his hands.

"When pirates are fashionable again, I'll have the perfect shirt. Then we'll see who's laughing."

"I suppose we will." He fell back on the bed and I walked into the closet, which, for now, was full of boxes that contained all of our clothing; mostly mine. I strung the shirt on a hanger and perched it on the iron rail that straddled the innards of a little wardrobe built into the wall. Once done, I made way for Artemis' room; to be sure she was happy with the bed Ondre miraculously conjured.

Her room was two doors down from the one Ondre and I shared. Olivia's directly followed ours.

"Artemis?" I knocked on the closed door, waiting for her permission to enter.

"Hey. Come on in." She called. I turned the handle and pushed open the door, seeing her lying in her bed.

"You look comfortable."

"Where did he get this? It's amazing!"

"He has his ways. Just checking on you before dawn. Get some rest." I smiled and turned back out. I really did hope she got some sleep, I couldn't imagine her reaction to the bleeds.

"How was she?" Ondre asked when I shut the door to our room behind me.

"She was fine, she looked it, anyway." I stepped out of my shoes, threw off the coat, and peeled out of my pants. Lying down beside my barbarian he took my hand and pulled me on to his chest.

"If I could be tired, I'd be exhausted." He said stroking my side.

"I concur." I kissed his chest and settled beside him for daybreak.

* * *

I awoke alone. The great bed I had fallen asleep in beside my lover was empty, and I felt a chill at his absence. Then I heard a gentle, but steady mechanical buzzing, and for a moment I was sure my failed attempt at surprise hadn't been such a failure, but seeing it laying unused in the floor dashed those hopes.

The sound stopped and I heard a click, like plastic on marble. There were also footsteps, Ondre's footsteps; they were solid, but graceful, his unclothed flesh making little squishing sounds as he walked. I smiled, listening to him move about until the sound of running water drowned him out. He was in the shower and I was going to join him.

I rolled off the bed and made my way through the massive room and through the large, wide doorway. There, in the floor, sat a tiny brown wastebasket with a shining white plastic rimming its edges. The counter ran the length of the south wall, with a tiny peninsula-like bar that came out of the wall. Sitting on this mass of marble was an electric hair clipper, covered in the black hair of my barbarian. In the trash can was a lump of it, all the hair on his head from its size. I looked over it with a certain amount of grief, I loved his hair; the way it danced over his eyes still shook me to my knees.

"Something wrong?" He asked, standing in open doorway of the glass wall around the shower. His head was shaved, with no more hair than a peach, but I'd never seen him look so good. It was the hair of a warrior, and enhanced the angles of his face perfectly.

"No...Nothing."

"Then why are you over there? Please, join me."

Well, there was no saying no to that.

He had me in his arms long before I ever felt the water on my skin, the soft clink of the glass door shutting was my last notion of reality, as Ondre's mouth rolled over my neck and his fingertips gripped the base of my skull. It was an amazing kiss. I ran my hands over his scalp; his short hairs were soft, and thick on his flesh.

"Do you like it?"

"J'aime-" I mouthed and pulled myself back on top of him. We fell into the wall, Ondre's arm around my back and to my side; stabilizing him against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his back and he dropped his weight to his knees, tucking his hands under my hips and lifting me onto his chest. We spun around the room and he settled against the wall, his shoulders on the large slab of stone.

"Je te désire-" I pulled myself on top of him and buried my face in his neck. His fingers dug into the globes of muscle on my rear and I felt him slide between my legs. That was what I wanted; he throbbed and pushed it up under my quickly tightening scrotum.

"Ça?" He shoved it up into my leg; his head left a thick, bloody streak on my belly.

"Ouias-" In less than an instant we were on the floor, water pounding down from above. Ondre was behind me, his fingers tickling at my most sensitive of areas. I felt his chin touch my flesh, then his mouth to the side of his finger. Then, his tongue flicked and massaged the tiny bud of pink flesh of my bottom. It sent me into a stupor and I laid my face to the floor of the shower.

Soon his finger and tongue worked in tandem, preparing my body for his unyielding and overpowering presence. His lips were on my ear, his body pressing mine to the marble. That's when I felt his round, full tip searching for entry. I wiggled my hips on him and after a moment of struggle, slipped in. There was a sudden pain that subsided rapidly and was replaced by an incredible ecstasy as he adjusted himself and slid deeper.

"Nnn-Gah!" I gasped, the thickest part of his anatomy now inside. He groaned and quickly forced the rest in.

"That's so sexy...When you move around on me..." I didn't even notice I was doing it, but now I felt my hips swaying from side to side, his cock throbbing inside of me. He pulled back and then forced it in again, and again. With every thrust he gained momentum until he attained a slow and steady rhythm.

He grabbed me and flipped us over; he landed on the floor and held me on his hips, my knees and feet resting beside his muscular legs. His feet adjusted and I felt his knees at my back.

"Lean back, my Love." I did as he commanded and he went right on like he had before. The force of his hips crashing into mine was enough to break my hip, but we never connected, the only parts of our bodies to meet were the ones locked around each other. I felt it coming on, the pressure building in my groin, the heat swelling up in my gut. I was on the verge of a spectacular orgasm.

Ondre's eyes rolled back in his skull and I saw him close his eyelids over them and he rocked me at a record pace. His hand wrapped around mine and worked over my plump, hard shaft. I let go, and bounced on his hips, and into his hands. The fire in my stomach poured into my legs and rushed to the tip of my cock, sparks erupted inside me and I felt the pressure give in. Like a bursting dam I erupted, spraying Ondre's chest, and mine, with thick, crimson semen.

Ondre felt it, my muscles tightened around him and within seconds I felt him filling my insides with his warm, bloody seed. He pushed deeper, jerking and spraying, his eyes shut and his head kicked back. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. He was a glorious sight, his body tight, but relaxed in a state of nirvana. I leaned over him and rested on his chest, slipping my tongue into his mouth.

Ondre slipped out of me with a comically audible pop and held me close to his heart. We washed together; he took the time to wash my hair while whispering sweet nothings in my ear. His fingertips massaging my scalp the way they had other parts of my body, sweetly, and tenderly, with a strength and pressure the denoted his devotion.

"I love how you quiver when I kiss your neck." He said, pulling the soapy lather from my hair. "Like this-" He touched his soft lips to the back of my neck, and I felt the quiver he spoke of. It started in my chest and spread throughout my body, centralizing in my neck and limbs. "Just like that. You're so beautiful." His hands snaked over my abdomen and he kissed my neck again.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, Leon." He swayed with me under the stream of water, and before I knew it, our moment was over. "Here you are." He handed a warm, large, white towel through the door of our shower. He had stepped out to fetch them for us, and stood in our bathroom with one wrapped around his waist. "Dry off, I want to help you dress."

"Why would you do that?"

"I have someone coming over later I'd like you to meet." Who the hell else was he brining into our home?

"Huh-" I said and began to dry my hair.

"You need to feed." He was right, I felt weak, fragile, dead. I needed blood; authentic, fresh, living blood, and I wanted it now.

"How can you tell?"

"I know you, Leon. Give me more credit than that." He stood in front of the mirror, looking over his new hair. "Let's get you some blood." With this he spun about and grabbed my hand, pulling me through our bedroom and into the closet.

* * *

~Ondre

My Love was the vision of vampire seduction. A choker around his neck, boots half-way up his calves, with the jacket Annabelle had gifted him a time ago, and a silver pair of the skin-tight pants he seemed so attached to. He wore the ruby pendant I had made for him on the collar of his coat, it was a bit much, but I didn't care. He looked incredible, and I was having difficulty keeping my hands off of him.

"Where are you going?" Artemis asked as we began down the hallway towards the stairs.

"We're going to feed, care to join us?" I asked her.

"The two of you? And me?"

"Come on, we'll show you a good time." Leon teased, and I could see a slight smile on her face. "I'll help you dress." He said and she took off for her room. "Meet you downstairs in five."

"No more than three..." I let him go, and took off down the stairs alone.

I waited for him and his newborn, and was met by Olivia.

"Expecting someone else?" She asked, leaning on the banister.

"I was indeed."

"Guess I'll just have to do then." I gave her no response. "The man will be here in one hour, papers ready."

"Good." I heard Leon coming down the hall, as did Olivia. She disappeared deep into the house, an action I regarded as her way of dealing with her intense jealousy.

"There you are." He said, standing where she just was. He gave her no mind, something I very much liked. He was confident in himself, and completely indifferent to the rest of the world; everyone but me.

"You look incredible, my Love."

"Merci."

"Je vous en prie." I said, taking his hand as he stepped to my side.

"So...Where are we going?" Artemis asked, rounding the central staircase.

"Where the blood is. Don't worry about the destination, concern yourself with the experience." Leon made an excellent point, and taught his newborn a valuable lesson. One I could see he learned from his time with me. Artemis, Leon, and I soon entered the darkness and we fell into a line. Leon ran point, Artemis behind him, and I covered the rear.

This little unit was mine to protect, regardless of my opinions of his newborn, she was a part of our life and formed a sense of completion around me. I had a family, after so many years of solitude. While I did not love Artemis, I loved her maker more than anything on this planet; keeping him safe meant keeping her safe.

He was clean, and efficient, capable of leaving no trace behind. His newborn was messy and impulsive, and it would require effort on both of our parts to shape her reflexes and hone her senses. Yet, she had potential, there was fire smoldering under the surface of her soft, victimized face. If tempered, she would prove a most deadly killing tool, and a perfect addition to our nest.

I could see the way she eyed him, and knew it would not be long before her feelings for him grew out of control. It was not my place, but I would end her suffering over her longing for my Leon. He was mine, and would never be hers. The sooner she realized this, the better for all of us it would be.


	29. Remain Nameless

The night was cold, and I could smell snow on the wind. Ondre sniffed us out quite the little snack; A couple walking through a less than reputable part of town. The young man was Ondre's while I taught Artemis the pleasure of femoral feeding. The girl lay on the hood of an abandoned car, her legs spread wide, Artemis burried in her thigh.

"From here, the blood flows strong, and if you're not careful, your human can bleed out within seconds." Her eyes were on me, but her focus was on her meal, as it should have been. "That's enough. Away." I touched her head and cupped my hand over the wounds on the girl's leg. I split the flesh on my fingertip open and dabbed the holes in her skin which closed up before another drop of blood fell from them. Artemis wiped her face and looked at the girl's body.

"She'll be fine." Ondre said to my newborn. "Her man is a street over, he'll wake up on his own in before too long." Ondre touched my shoulder and kissed my forehead. "Artemis, come with me. Let your maker feed." I couldn't thank him enough; I needed to feed, desperately and this human's blood smelled of apples, and cinnamon. Ondre took my newborn and they turned down an alley while I took to the girl's neck and drank.

Her pulse was slow; Artemis having taken more from her than I expected my feeding was minimal. The girl was pale and her breathing slow but she would live, the next few days would prove difficult but survivable. I dabbed her wounds with a drop of blood and stashed her with her companion, meeting Ondre and Artemis on the street. He handed me a wet, alcohol-drenched swatch of paper and I cleaned my face of her blood.

There was an odd emotion in the air; Artemis wouldn't look me in the eyes, and couldn't stand to be near Ondre. He, however, seemed completely normal.

"Something wrong?" I asked, tucking the bloody scrap of paper into my coat pocket.

"No-" Artemis said, looking away.

"Not on my end." Ondre said.

"So it's your doing?" I looked at him, he shrugged and I knew something had transpired. "What happened?"

"It was nothing!" Artemis shouted and took off into the darkness. I was stunned, too shocked to act.

"What did you say!?" I shouted at Ondre.

"Don't you need to catch your runaway newborn?" His tone was instantly dismissive.

"Ondre, tell me what happened!"

"She believes she's in love with you."

"And?"

"I told her you are mine, and that what she feels is normal for a baby vampire." Ondre was correct here, most newborns develop a sexual relationship with their makers. The connection they share is incredibly strong, and something no human could ever understand. Even now, I could feel her heart broken, and the pain in her chest; what she felt she believed to be love, but I knew it to be blood magic.

I wasn't upset with him, not much, anyway. Although in truth I wished he hadn't.

"You caused this; you're helping me find her." I took off into the darkness, Ondre close behind me.

* * *

~Ondre

Perhaps I was in the wrong.

Perhaps.

Artemis was Leon's responsibility, and one I needn't shoulder. But Leon was mine, and although I know it broke the young girl's heart, it had to be done. Leon was certainly not pleased with me, but in time I know he would forgive me. It was a minor indiscretion, I hadn't laid hands on her, only broke shattered any ignorant ideas of his feelings for her.

He was her maker, but more importantly, he was mine.

We found her a short distance away crying her eyes out in to the side of a dumpster. Leon sent me away and went in to deal with her himself. It was only a few moments before the two of them appeared at my side. Artemis wouldn't look at me, and so I took it upon myself to smooth the situation over.

"I apologize for having hurt you, it was not my intention."

"I understand your intentions." She said. "And I also understand that what I feel isn't love, but that doesn't stop it from feeling like it..."

"You'll make a fine vampire, you're able to put the past behind you so easily. A trait those of us gifted with immortality seldom display."

"We'll see how apt to the future I am in a hundred years."

"You'd be surprised how fast your first hundred pass." Leon touched her shoulder. She cringed, and began to move away, but she stopped took the chance to look at my Love, then touch his hand.

"I'm sorry Leon. Don't be mad at Ondre, he let me down very easily..." She smiled and finally cast a look my direction. Artemis possessed the innate ability to adapt, something I'd seen in Leon so many years ago.

"Go home, Artemis. We'll be back soon." Leon said and took my arm. Artemis lingered, and Leon finally sent her on her way. "As your maker, I command you." She turned her head and took off down the street.

"You…" He touched my chest. "You're a nasty little devil when it comes to me, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am, but you're no better."

"Oh, really?"

"Then tell me how you felt when you saw Olivia." This was the heart of the issue; each of us petrified to lose the other.

"You're her maker-"

"And you are Artemis'."

"That doesn't mean I'm leaving you for her."

"Likewise, my Love." He was quiet for a time, and fell into my side, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

"I guess we're both a little insecure."

"Strange, isn't it?" I tucked my hands in his pockets and pulled him closer to me.

"You have nothing to fear. I couldn't go on without you. Life would be empty." He touched my face and pulled us together. His soft, thin lips touching mine in a delicate kiss. "Please, no more breaking the heart of my newborn." He touched my ear and pulled us together again.

Leon was an amazing vampire,and an even better example that life doesn't stop at death; neither should humanity. He could teach Artemis how to straddle the divide and live as a vampire, not as a monster. He could teach the both of us.

"I love you." He kissed me once more.

"I love you." His eyes sparkled upon hearing my declaration, and I knew I would never be able to say it enough. "I love you." I touched his forehead to mine. "I love you, Leon."

"I love you, Ondre."

* * *

Ondre may have overstepped his boundaries, but in truth I wasn't angry with him. The scent of his skin and the touch of hand was more than enough to make me forget how self-serving he was. It was a trait I did not admire, but a trait of his nonetheless. He told her exactly what he said he had; that I was his, and what she felt was normal for a newborn.

I told her the same, something I'm sure that did nothing to ease the heartache she felt. She was strong though, and in time would be able to put it behind her. She was a beautiful young vampire; there was never a better time to be young, beautiful, and immortal than now.

Tomorrow I would introduce her to our Queen, but tonight I planned to do my best to instruct her on proper decorum. It would seem, however, Ondre had different plans. Olivia met the two of us at the gate with a stern look on her face.

"Wonderful." Ondre said, before ever hearing a word from Olivia.

"As you requested, your lawyer has arrived. All he needs is a few signatures to send you into bankruptcy."

"Oh hush. You're here for a while; you'd best start making friends." Ondre touched his finger to a panel on the gate and after analyzing the DNA in his blood, let us through. "I could command you to be nice to Leon. Or you could do it on your own. Either way, I'm expecting a change in your attitude."

Now it made sense, Olivia couldn't stand me. I'd never met the immortal until last night, but something about me put her off, and I had a feeling it was because of my relationship with Ondre. All I could hope was that Artemis didn't turn out like this; jealously coveting the affections given to her maker's lover.

"As your maker I command you-"

"Don't do that to her. If she doesn't want to be nice, that's on her." I touched Ondre's arm and stopped him. Olivia blatantly avoided my eyes but it made no difference to me. For all I cared, she could carry her ass back to Washington and never return. We walked through the gates and continued up the rolling driveway, reaching the house before another awkward moment could be birthed.

Instantly, I could smell the stink of humanity on my home, he was in the large room next to the entry-way. The man was older, between 40 and 50, at least, with a leather briefcase full of papers.

"Mr. Mortimer." Ondre said, stepping into the room where Mr. Mortimer sat with Artemis. She was a quiet entertainer, and once she saw us, saw her way out of the room.

"Excuse me." She said, and stepped out, walking right by me. He nodded and rose to see her out, presenting his hand to Ondre, who took it and gave it a very western handshake.

"Abraham, this is Leon, my companion, and progeny." The look on Olivia's face when he said this was too much to take and a less mature vampire would have reveled in it. I, however, stored it for a later date.

"Wonderful to meet you, Mr. Mortimer." I touched his hand. He was warm, like all mortals, and his skin touched with age; yellowed, and wrinkled.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr-?"

"Karstón, Mr. Mortimer."

"Karstón, eh?" The man shut his eyes and seemed to think for a moment. "French?" He opened his eyes. I nodded in response.

"I love France, beautiful country."

"Abraham-" Ondre interjected. "Would you mind if we continued this after our business has been settled?" I hadn't noticed it until just now but Ondre instantaneously glamoured the man, his blank face stared into the vacuum of Ondre's mind.

"Let's get on with business." He said vacantly, and turned for his briefcase.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He touched my shoulder and together we walked into the den adjacent the entrance, sitting down the on the temporary and bland sofa across the equally dull armchair.

"These papers here will grant you right over Ondre's vast estate."

"Me?"

"Yes." He was no longer under Ondre's control, but he was much more serious than friendly. Ondre wanted to give me his money? Or control over it? I never wanted his money, it was nice, but life with him would be as equally perfect without it.

"Ondre, what does he mean?"

"I'm binding myself to you, the only way I know how."

"By giving me your money? I don't want your money." My voice had grown more emotional with each syllable. Olivia's eyes narrowed and she arched her back, seeming to take offence at my reaction.

"It's to take care of you. Should I die you'll have the resources you need to take care of yourself."

"You're planning on dying?"

"No, just planning should it happen."

"Is there even a remote possibility that you could die?"

"I could die any day, any of us could." He spoke truth, and it hurt as much as any truth before it. "It's only a precaution."

"I don't like this Ondre. I feel like a prostitute."

"I wish you wouldn't. It's the next step in our relationship. This makes us equal. It makes us partners." Regardless of what he said, I felt like a common whore, a feeling I experienced many nights under Jacqueline's employment. "Please, do it for me." He begged, touching my knee. His ghastly-green eyes sparkled and I felt my resolve melting away.

"How much money is in question?" I asked, loathing myself with every word. Olivia's face changed, although minimally, and revealed a disgusted satisfaction with my question. Ondre's lips turned up in a slight smile and he touched the side of my face.

"About 50 million dollars, American."

"50 million dollars?"

"It fluctuates, but stays around there."

Well, that was certainly more than enough money to take care of anything I could ever need, but to lay my name on his money, that was not right.

"Where did you get 50 million dollars?"

"I told you, no one writes checks as big as Nan." He touched my arm and nodded towards the human, my cue to sign the papers and shut up.

"I'll do it, but know that I don't want it."

"Noted." Nothing I said would get me out of this, as ungrateful as it was to rebuke his offer. I penned my name, several times, across the man's stack of papers. Aside from the filth I felt creeping on my skin, I felt an intense dislike of these papers; forms, with their clouded language, and indeterminable end.

"Well, that's it." Said the human.

"Thank you so much, Abraham. You may go now, Olivia, see him to his car." Ondre glamoured him again, and he tucked the papers into his briefcase and made for the door, Olivia following behind with obvious agitation.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I suppose not." I touched his hand, and tucked my fingers in his palm.

"If anything, it gives you an excuse to get yourself a wallet."

"A wallet?" He knew how much I hated them. They were large, and bulky, and gave an unattractive blocky shape to a man's rear.

"To keep your credit card safe."

"I don't have a credit card."

"Not yet, give it a week or so. I had a copy of my card made in your name."

"So I can spend all your money?"

"If you want."

"That's not what I want."

"What is?" He and I had pawed our way closer as we spoke. Our faces now inches from each other, so close I could smell the robust, earthy scent of his skin.

"You." I tackled him to the sofa, and was met by his arms which wrapped around my waist. Our lips were together, my body wiggling against his, his pushing back on mine. I don't know how it happened, but I felt eyes on me, and saw Olivia staring from the front door with a vengeful fury in her eyes.

"Stop..." I pushed myself off of him and Olivia shot up the stairs.

"What is it?"

"Olivia-" Ondre was silent, and without saying a word, knew what I'd seen.

* * *

~Ondre

I hoped Olivia seeing this would lay her desires to rest. I hoped it, but it didn't seem to do so. In laying Leon's name on my wealth, he responded just how I knew he would. He didn't want it. I had to force him into it, and as the pen streaked the papers I could feel his anxiety.

Regardless of how he felt about the circumstances surrounding his sudden spike in value, he would appreciate it. He'd no longer be at the behest of another when it came to his desires. He'd have the resources to fulfill any wish an immortal could dream. And I would be there to celebrate his happiness alongside him.

Regardless, Leon, Artemis, and I were together in the long white-tiled room that held our indoor pool. Artemis was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit; for a woman, she looked nice but I couldn't take my eyes off of my Love.

His flesh was snugly tucked into his trunks, the skin of his back seamlessly contouring to the tight waistband. He floated in the water at the side before me with his hand on my knee.

"How much money, did you say again?" Artemis disturbed the subtle intensity between the two of us.

"50 million American Dollars."

"Holy fuck! That's a lot of money."

"It is indeed." I said to her, lifting my sunglasses over my eyes and staring down Leon's chest.

"How did you get all of it?"

"Murder, my Dear."

"Murder? Are you like, an assassin, or something?"

"He's one of the best." My Love spoke for me, and pulled himself further up my legs. "He's got a knack for regicide."

"Regicide?" What were humans teaching their offspring these days? They're all idiots.

"The killing of a King, or Queen." Leon was between my legs, his head resting on my lap.

"You killed a King? What King?"

"Jackson Smith, he was King of Virginia." Artemis sat silent while Leon began to draw tiny circles in the hair on the inside of my leg.

"How long was he King?"

"Four centuries or so." I touched the side of his head and Artemis' eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Do all the states have a King? Or Queen?"

"They do, but they're not called states, they're territories. They are independent governments with their own regent who employs sheriffs to see that the smaller areas that make up the territory are kept in order."

"So if you were King, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted?"

"I suppose so; most monarchs with that mindset don't last very long, though."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"They are killed." Leon said, turning away from me and sinking into the water.

"Who kills them? Who decides if a Queen or King is good enough to rule? Or should continue to rule, for that matter?" The girl was intelligent, and eager to learn of our culture. It was refreshing and reminded me of the days when I taught all of this to my Leon.

"Vampires such as myself remove a monarch from power."

"Who gives you the authority to dethrone a King?"

"The Authority."

"The Authority?"

Ignorant newborns.

"Have you ever seen that blond vampire on television? Nan Flanagan?"

"The spokesperson for the AVL?" The American Vampire League, a front from which the Authority fed the masses their own personal brand of mainstreaming propaganda.

"Exactly. She is a chancellor of a group of vampires known as the Authority. It is made up of a man named Roman Zimojic, who serves as Guardian-"

"Guardian? Of what?"

"The blood and book of Lilith."

"Who's Lilith?"

"Apparently she was the first vampire, and was made in God's image. I don't believe it. The Authority is nothing but smoke, mirrors, and blood. They claim to be thousands of years old, but it's common knowledge they came together only five centuries ago. A few like-minded immortals got together and have since been attempting to integrate immortals into mortal society. They're responsible for that synthetic shit your maker is so fond of."

"It's not half as bad as you think." He said, climbing from the pool. Once out he spun around and began shaking droplets of water from his hair. The water rushed over the divine ridges his ribs made in this flesh; he had the muscles of an ox with the shape of a willow. His muscles and bones giving his skin dips and curves well-fed bodies lack. He was thin, but far from a skeleton.

"So there are others in this Authority?"

"Yes. There's Nan, Roman, Salome, Kibwe, Dieter, Rosalyn, Nora, Alexander...Have I forgotten any?" He turned, holding up his hands, counting the names on his fingers.

"That's all of them."

"That's a lot of vampires...How old are they?"

"The chancellors?" She nodded.

"Well, Nan's over 800. Dieter and Salome are both over two-thousand years old."

"Two-thousand!?"

"Quite a thought isn't it? To see thousands of years pass, and never age a day." Leon pulled a stray collection of hair from the side of his face and tucked it behind his ear. "There's also a Magister, they control continents. They are above monarchs, but below the Authority."

"Have you ever met a member of the Authority?"

"I have. I've seen Nan several times."

"Are you close?" Leon laughed again, as did I.

"I don't think anyone is close to Nan." Leon spoke up. His voice was joking, but it did not hide the truth in what he said.

"It was business, nothing more."

"And now you're working for the new Queen of Virginia?"

"I suppose."

"You don't know?"

"She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing at any given moment. She's all dresses, and hair, and parties." Leon pranced around the room in her mannerisms; swaying his hips in the sophisticated way she did, walking on the balls of his feet with his chin towards the sky. It was absolutely hilarious. I giggled a brutish, snorting thing and watched as he mocked our monarch.

He smiled at me and turned his head to the water.

"You'll see soon, you'll be meeting her tomorrow."

"Ondre, there's someone here to see you." Olivia walked into the room. "It's the Queen."

"The Queen?"

"The Queen?" They both asked. Olivia nodded and I felt panic swelling in my stomach.

"Good evening, Gentlemen, Ladies." Queen Serana Trollona stood in our doorway, wearing a bathing suit.

* * *

Fuck me.

She saw me, there's no way she didn't see me. Olivia wore a sick smile from behind Serana and I knew she was pleased with her timing. However, the look our Queen's face revealed nothing; she was just as vacant as I'd ever seen her, perhaps with the hint of a smile.

"I hope I'm not intruding, your progeny here said it was no trouble." Queen Serana looked to Ondre who threw his eyes towards Olivia.

"No, it's no trouble at all. Welcome to our home, Your Majesty." I appeared before her, taking a bow before turning to the side and calling Artemis. "Artemis, this is your Queen." I stepped aside slightly and Artemis pulled herself from the water, and stood before Serana.

"Your Majesty." Her voice was awkward, as it had been when she first met me, but she crossed her legs and bowed, taking the Queen's hand.

"Please, I'm in your house, there's no need for such formality." Serana touched Artemis' chin and lifted her head. "You're a beautiful young vampire; it's my honor to welcome you into my Queendom."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"To what might I owe this visit?" Ondre said at my side.

"I heard you acquired a new home and had to see it for myself."

"You heard, did you?"

"An eleven million dollar purchase does not go unnoticed."

"11.8"

"Don't you think you overpaid?" She looked up to the porcelain ceiling and stared with great intent at the cast iron lotus-like lights that hung suspended by long, metallic cables.

"Perhaps, but I'm not one to wait. Money has a way of lubricating the legal process."

"It does indeed." I could have sworn to have seen a smile run up the corners of her mouth, but to be honest, she appeared no different.

"Have you done anything to the house? Or did you buy it this way?"

"Ondre had a chandelier installed in our bedroom, but as far as I know, that's the extent of it." Queen Serana was quiet, and I saw her looking to the golden sides of the pool. "Would you like to see it?"

"Perhaps, but the night is young; I'd like to test your waters. Do you mind?"

Did the Queen of Virginia really come to our home to swim in our pool?  
No. That was impossible.

Maybe.

* * *

After her swim, Queen Serana insisted on seeing our bedroom, something I'd have been more keen on showing had my miserable failure of sexual adventure not been lying on the floor. I think Ondre was able to grab it before she saw it, but she certainly saw him burst into our room. We needed a bedside table, desperately; something that, through our eyes, we conveyed equally.

"That is lovely." The Queen said, stepping into our spacious boudoir.

"It is. I don't even know how he got it."

"Ah, what a lovely vase." She said it with elegance, emphasizing the first vowel. It was the man-sized speckled stone vase she gave to Ondre during my time in New York. It was a beautiful addition to our room, giving a glittering darkness to contrast the crystals hanging from the ceiling.

"You are too kind, to bring attention to the only part of the house to come of your charity." This was quite possibly the one of the rudest, yet most eloquently worded insults I ever head Ondre spit. The Queen could have had his fangs for it, but she obviously knew better. Regardless of her title, Ondre was older and stronger, and she was outnumbered.

"If you would, could I have a moment of your time?" She looked to Ondre.

"You may."

"In private?"

"You may not." Her eyes narrowed, and she titled her head my direction.

"Come now, I only wish to talk."

"Artemis, leave us, please." Ondre said to her. She looked at me, and I nodded my head. Reluctantly, she ducked her head and exited our room, shutting the door behind her.

"I come to offer you a job. I want to make you Sheriff of Area 41." Ondre was quiet, studying the Queen's face. The two of them were acting as if I wasn't there, something I took as a cue to listen and observe.

"Why make me sheriff of the area you reside in?"

"You're the greatest killer the centuries know; you were the only choice for the position. I have tasted your strength, and you possess power beyond your years. The way I understand it, you were made by an ancient named Zuriel, said to have walked the earth for millennia."

"Zuriel was the greatest of our kind; you know nothing of what you speak."

"I know that were he alive today, he'd have the Authority under his thumb. And I know his power and his wisdom lives on in you. You're a wise vampire, you're able to see every possible scenario and adapt to them without a lapse in judgment. I see that now, the night you attacked me in my home I knew you had the strength and the will to see yourself through anything, and lead those around you with a calm and subtle control. You're the only vampire I'd trust to see to my safety."

"I know it's not my life you've placed value on, and I do not hold that against you. What is good for you-" She looked at me now, then back to Ondre. "Is good for me. With my name behind your word you will have the power to protect your Queen, your Lover, your nest mates, and yourself."

This was why she showed up here tonight. Ondre could be a Sheriff; Ondre could be King if he wanted it. He was a powerful vampire, able to get into the minds of those around him and influence them through gentle coercion and not-so-subtle violence. I often wondered if he was gifted with some manner of undead telepathy; the way he could read me to the core, but that was the understanding between two souls tied together.

The position of Sheriff was not a job of leisure; he would be the authority in the area. Vampires moving in to the area would have to make themselves known to him, appearing at our home and making their intentions clear. He would be the peace keeper, dealing out his Queen's brand of justice to those who happen to find themselves on the receiving end of his fury.

I watched him thinking the Queen's offer through and without cause I went to stand beside him, taking his hand in mine. He turned his head and touched his lips to the side of my face.

"I will be your Sheriff, Queen Serana, only after you've deposited a lucrative sum of money to the account of my companion here. Consider it my bonus."

"Ondre-" I touched his side.

"What?"

"I don't want any more of your money!"

"Then call it my money." Queen Serana raised an eyebrow to me and held her hand out to Ondre. He gave me a kiss and took her hand.

"Welcome to the Court of Virginia, Sheriff Ondre."

The Queen's face definitely bore a smile, a pleased, satisfied smile. Ondre wore the intense look I so often saw when he was amid something he didn't like. The Queen left soon after and when Ondre and I were alone I sat beside him and took his hand in mine.

"What is it, my Love?" He looked up at me, pressure behind his glittering eyes. "Ondre-" I touched the back of his hand to my cheek. "Please, tell me." He scrunched his face and looked away from me. His eyes shut and I saw a drop of blood fall from his face; he was crying.

My barbarian was crying before me, for reasons unknown.

"I can't do this, Leon."

"You can't do what?"

"I can't go without you. If I'm sheriff, the easiest way to get to me, is through you."

"No one will harm me."

"They will kill you! There are forces at work here beyond my control, Leon!" He was loud, tears streaming down his face. "I can't protect you forever." His head fell, and hung limp.

"You have always protected me."

"I've put you in so much danger, danger you can't comprehend."

"There is nothing I cannot face with you by my side." He looked up at me and touched my face, pulling a streak of crimson across his finger.

"I promise you, Leon, no harm will come to you while I walk this Earth."

"You say that like a day will come when I'll be forced to go on without you..." He was quiet, and tucked his hand behind my neck. I fell to his lap, where he wiped the bloody tears from my face as his dropped down on me.

"Should that day come, promise me you'll go on."

That was impossible. He was my everything. I couldn't think without him by my side. The very idea of facing a world without him was too much to bear, and I felt the blood run rapidly down the sides of my face.

"I know...I know-" He shut his eyes and pulled me to his chest, holding me close in the most grievous and heartbreaking embrace I'd ever felt.


	30. Death is No Excuse

As far as I could see, my world was minutes from ruin. Ondre made sure I would be able to survive should he die, but I'd give all I had to ensure his immortality. I couldn't imagine even trying to go on without him; without his loving eyes, the scent of his flesh, or the touch of his hand on my neck...

No. I would not. I could not.  
He would live. Should I have to give my life for his, so be it.

Ondre and I were lying on our bed, covered in the blood that spilled from our eyes. I held myself to his side, one arm under my head, the other resting on his chest. His arm ran under my chest and his hand lovingly tickling the base of my spine.

"You don't have to say it, just do it."

"I won't."

"You will."

"I can't..."

"You can." His voice never broke, and somehow I was able to find solace in that. Ondre was Ondre, regardless of what happened around him. I loved that about him. I loved everything about him. He rolled over to his side and touched my face. I didn't speak; instead I pulled myself to him and laid my lips on his.

I was paralyzed under the overwhelming force of his kiss. He was beside me now, his fingers twisted in my hair, his legs tangled with my own.

"Ondre-" I cried, his lips rolling over mine.

"Don't, my Love. No more tears..." He touched the side of his face to my forehead. "Shh-No tears. I can't stop mine when I watch yours." He kissed my cheek, my jaw, and my chin, resting his next to mine.

"Make love to me." He breathed into my ear. "Don't make me beg for it." He kissed the side of my face and pulled on my hair just enough to get my attention; just the way I liked it. "Please..." He tickled my neck with his tongue and gave my hips a shove with his. He kissed me, and again, scrubbing the prickly hairs on his face against mine. I loved that feeling; his hair scratching and tickling my skin.

"No need to beg, my Love. I want it; I need it." I ran my hand over the soft, stubby hairs on the top of his head. He bucked his hips into mine and I pulled myself up, meeting his lips in a kiss. My tongue slipped into his mouth and lapped at his. He pulled me on his body and flipped us over in burst of undead speed. He supported us on his legs, my hips resting between his massive thighs.

His strong hand cupped the base of my skull, and turned my head to the side. He buried his face in my neck and rolled his lips over the long, thin muscle he was stretching and exposing. A kiss at the base of my jaw, on the lobe of my ear, and then in the indention above my collar bone.

"I need to let you down, only for a moment."

"No-"

"It'll just be a moment." He kissed my nose and before I could fall to the bed he was back again, and on top of me. At first, I didn't see it, but once he popped the cap I got a lung-full of faerie blood, and shot up to eye-level with him. Something I, regrettably, had no control over.

Ondre pulled the vial away and with a sly smile, touched his finger to the opening, and after turning it over once, then back, he handed it to me; a beautiful, shining drop of magic on his fingertip. He handed me the tiny glass bottle and held his finger to my mouth.

"I'll do you, if you do me." I took the vial, and did as he had. We promptly sealed the tube and before our children could burst into the room, drawn by the scent of our secret, Ondre and I shared our drops of blood. He touched his finger to my tongue, further in than expected and trailed it to the tip. Ondre sucked the ecstasy-riddled fluid from my flesh and in seconds we were locked together.

"What was that!?" Artemis burst into our room with her fangs drawn and her eyes full of newborn bloodlust. Then they fell on our naked bodies and had she any blood circulating under her skin, she'd be red as a flame. "Ah! Ugh-" She diverted her eyes and cupped a hand over them, her other hand was fumbling for the door handle.

"Something we can help you with?" Ondre asked, his face inches from mine. I couldn't help myself; I bit at his lips and giggled from the surge of electricity igniting my loins. The shame I'd have felt from such an invasion would have been crippling, had my fragile emotional state not been heavily suffering under the intoxicating effects of the faerie blood.

"Umm, no. Sorry! I'm sorry!" She fell back, tripping over her own feet as she scrambled for the doors. She shut them and I could hear her fall against the wall once she was out of sight. Her bashful nature was both precious and hysterical, Ondre's laughter forcing him to fall into my chest. I snickered, cupping my hands over my nose.

"I smell mist on your neck…and the sweat beading under your arms…" I closed my eyes and drew a deeper breath. "I smell the iron on your hands and the blood soaking your clothes...the meat on your back-"

"How can you smell that?"

"I don't know-But I can see it. I see the sun peeking out through hazy, grey clouds. Three blackbirds are flying overhead…I heard one! It..it said your name-"

"Leon...Leon?" Ondre touched my face, and the scene disappeared. "You're seeing the day I died." His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide in awe. Ondre never spoke of the day he died. I didn't know a damn thing about it; it was a day I knew he wished to forget. It was the day he lost his family.

As a mortal Ondre was a nomad living in the forests of Hungary. He had no money, or use for it. If he couldn't borrow it from the earth he went without it. That being said, he was very good at killing; he was a tracker, a hunter who without a kill went hungry.

A wonderful teacher, hunger is; a slow learner starves.

Aside from the beasts he slaughtered, he was also a killer of men. Dozens of them died by his hand; raiders, marauders, thieves. He was efficient. He was strong, fast, and determined, with the mind of a warrior but the heart of a human.

What I knew of his family, which amounted to near nothing, was that in the final years of his life he found happiness with a young gypsy girl. A dancer, I could see her moving in my head; her dress twirling and fluttering about a great fire. Music played all around me, and I knew I was seeing through Ondre's eyes. She smiled, and batted her eyes, filling me with warmth and excitement.

They were bound together and tried for a family. Ondre soon became a father, his modest Sylvetta birthing Ondre's beauty in the body of infant girl. I see her now, her eyes are big, bright, and the same color as her father's. She squeezed my finger; such strength! Her little arm pulled me to her mouth and she mindlessly chewed at my finger.

"Sylvanya-" I said, hearing her name in my head. Ondre's chest sank, and with him, I witnessed their end.

He was hunting and gone a day longer than anticipated. Yet, as he always does, he returned home with food for his family to find they were missing; their home ransacked, blood splattered across the snow. They had been taken from him, and emptiness filled his heart.

"I found them...That night..." His voice was as quiet as I'd ever heard it, and as he spoke the story manifested before my eyes.

"Sylvetta was a fighter. She fought them with all her strength, but she was no match for the drunken slavers she'd been taken by. Her struggles made her unfit, and so they killed her…but not before they took the life of our child…to break her spirit."

"She broke free and killed one of them; stabbed him in the neck with knife before she could be restrained." He was silent, and turned his head away from me. I saw the scene he stumbled upon, her naked, broken body stuffed into a shallow grave beneath the bough of a great tree. His daughter was wrapped in a bloody blanket and thrown in on top of her. He fell to the ground and laid beside them where he welcomed death and begged it to come for him.

And it did.

Zuriel came to Ondre and offered him the lives of the slavers in exchange for a lifetime of servitude. Ondre accepted the immortal's offer, and after a day in the ground he awoke as a vampire.

"I loved her..." We were lying beside one another, his hands in mine. "I loved her, and she was taken from me." He wiped a tear from his eyes. "I love you Leon, you are my child, my lover, my soul mate...I lost the love of my life, so that I could find love eternal; love I've found in you..." Another tear and then he opened his eyes. They were grief stricken; I could see the pain he'd hidden away for centuries. It broke the glass behind his eyes, and he pulled himself close to me.

I could not bear it, and I too felt the crimson stream down my face. Our faces were together, and in an attempt to soothe his pain, I touched my lips to his. His kiss was reluctant, and as our lips came together again a cry broke his silence. It was sharp, and hit me like a stake in the heart.

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered between heartbroken kisses. "I'm so sorry..." We came together again, this time the emotion becoming too much for either of us to stand. He was on top of me, his chest bearing down on me with a heaviness I knew as fear.

"Don't...I can't-" He begged, resting his forehead on mine.

"I won't..." He kissed me again, and I felt the desire burning through our flesh. It shot from my heart though his chest and back again. Each time the spark passed through me, I felt more of my body fall under the ecstatic tickling of the faerie blood. He kissed me again, and I felt the electricity now passing freely between us.

"I see your home..." He kissed me again. "I see your mother..."

My mother…

* * *

~Ondre

To tell the story of my Lover's life as a human I must start with his death.

Leon's creator was forced to turn him under circumstances similar to those surrounding Artemis' resurrection. William was once a proud and noble Englishman with an estate, a wife, and a mistress; everything to craft a cold and egotistical immortal, which is just what he became. He took the life of a vampire in a dispute over a human and was sentenced to restore the loss.

Which brought him to Leon.

I can't say what made William choose him, but something did. And so during a midnight run home he was attacked, drained, and buried, where he rose from his grave the next night. Like all of us, he awoke scared and confused. His creator was uninterested in the new responsibility and left Leon on his own. It wasn't until he snuffed the lives of his family out that William intervened.

A newborn is a loaded gun, or a poisoned blade, capable of killing without a thought.

An attacked newborn is something wholly different.

Upon his return home, Leon was confronted with his mother's husband. This man was not his father; his mother suffered a violent rape in the tiny town outside of Paris and in a cruel twist of fate, was forced from the village. Leon was born on American soil, but his blood was distinctly European.

This man was a Christian, people who in my time led vicious crusades through my homeland seeking the land of promise. Violence has always been a tool of the religious, and this man was no different. Leon, as a child, was beaten by the rough leather Bible this man kept in his coat pocket. A smack to the face, the spine across the back of his skull; an arm, a leg, it made no matter to him, and Leon suffered many cruelties at his hand.

Leon's mother was a strong woman, but when it came to her husband, she cast a blind eye. He's told me how he would scream for her as she stood on the other side of the door until the first hit; then she would leave. If she hadn't acknowledged it, it never happened. He was the constant reminder of her victimization, and keeping his existence from her reality was always at the forefront of her mind.

He grew on the fringes of their family, as his younger brother grew under their love and support. Leon was their burden, and he was treated that way. Yet they happily accepted his labor, and should he have found a way to scratch two coins together, they were promptly taken. In the later years of his life he found a companion in a young man who lived a short distance away. To Leon, he was his savior and he fell in love.

His name was John, and I know Leon still aches over him. He was strong, and tall; taller than Leon himself, with wide arms and thick legs. Their relationship would be enough for damnation, so it was kept secret. All good things come to an end, and theirs came when Leon's abusive patriarch caught them together.

It was the most severe beating he'd ever received, and on that day, Leon became nothing more than a mule. He was worked until he bled, and long after. It was more than he could bear, and planned an escape with his love. Executing his disappearance in the dead of night he appeared at John's door to be greeted by a girl from town. John appeared behind her and in the silence Leon saved face and apologized for disturbing the young couple, claiming to have mistaken them for others.

On his agonizing journey home his life was taken by William, and after he awoke, he set for home once more. The house was dark; his family sleeping. It was here when he realized he was not what he once was. He could not pass the threshold into the home, something impossible to do as a vampire without an invitation. He woke his family, his mother reaching him first. She was shocked to see her son covered in dirt, dried blood around his neck, and fetched her husband.

Leon was struck with a fist to the side of his skull, and sent to the floor. The years of abuse had given him near limitless unexpressed rage, and before the man could draw another breath his arms were torn from their sockets and Leon ripped his throat out. Leon's mother was horrified and in a panic shot him in the chest. She was dead in seconds, and his brother, who saw it from the tiny sleeping room they shared was next; his screams of terror alerting his now undead sibling.

It wasn't until his family lay dead around him that Leon's creator appeared to him and realizing what a mess he would be in, fled the area with his newborn. When he could hunt and feed himself he was released. After that, Leon never again saw his creator, and he soon found his way to me.

There he found a maker. I took him as mine without hesitation. His golden eyes, and bronze hair; he was and is the most beautiful immortal I've ever laid my eyes on. I say this having met the vampire worshiped as Aphrodite, and I would eternally prefer his company to hers.

It took him years to reveal this to me, he was slow to trust but quick to love. He gave me his heart so easily and I thought I had given him mine. The years were good to us, but I could not stand to see the monster I turned him into, and ran out. Something I regret to this day and I know Leon fears it may happen again. His fears, while rational, are unnecessary. I couldn't imagine facing a day without him. He was my everything, and I'd gladly die before allowing harm to come to him.

The faerie blood in our systems allowed us to synchronize like never before. I could feel myself inside his mind, his voice loud in my ears when his mouth fell silent. He smelled of bergamot, with notes of spearmint and lemongrass. I drew a deep breath on his neck and he filled my lungs, the blood we'd ingested creating euphoria in the reactions between our bodies.

"Ondre-" His tender voice cried out, his hands on my shoulders.

"My Love?" I kissed his ear and his nose, hovering above his lips.

"Take me..." He pushed up and kissed me, bucking his hips against mine. He shuffled underneath of me and flipped over, raising his tight, little rear into my groin. As he did, he pushed himself up into my chest with his arms. His head rolled over my neck and he purred in my ear.

"Kiss me-" His voice sounded in my blood, and I laid my lips on his neck. His skin was so soft, so smooth; flawless. I kissed him again, and again, each leading to another.

"Nnnff-" He groaned and arched his back, reaching behind his head and pulling my face into his neck. I kissed him here, sucking a strip of his skin into my mouth. He tasted of honey, gathered from a hive among a field of lavender. I rolled my tongue over the meat in his neck and without a thought sank my teeth into the artery under his clavicle. His body jerked, and his legs gave out, sinking his body into the bed beneath us.

On the pristine white sheets his body wiggled and squirmed under mine as I drank from his chest. He groaned and bucked his rear into my pelvis. My sturdy cock slipped between the cleft of his ass, and poked out at the base of his spine.

"Stop teasing me..." He writhed about and I pulled away from his chest. His blood coated my face; a thin stream dribbled from the corner of my mouth and a drop fell from my chin to his back. I grabbed his shoulder and turned him over, laying my lips to his as he came to face me. He pawed at my arms, settling his hands on either side of my neck. His legs split apart and he lowered himself into the bed, forcing his hips up.

That was the sign, he was ready. He wanted me inside him.

I rocked back on my knees and tucked my hands under his back, scooping him up and laying his hips on my legs. The head of my cock poked between his ass and with an adjustment and a slow, forceful shove I felt it slip into his warm, wet, tight body. He resisted, only at first; with a kiss to his lips and a hand on his stomach he relaxed and welcomed me in. It went slow, and until the widest part of my shaft was inside, I could see the pain on his face.

Within moments I had him on my lap, holding him to my chest, pulling in and out with a slow and steady rhythm. He whimpered; his chest quivering as I rocked his body with my rod.

"Uugh-Ondre...Aahh-" He touched the side of his face to my shoulder, his mouth hanging open.

"My Love..." I laid my head on his, and closed my eyes.

I was close; so close. The fire in my gut was bubbling at a boil; it lapped at my arms, threatening to spill over and fill them to my fingers with ecstasy.

"Uuugh!" He winched, his body tightening around me. "Aaah-!" There it was, he tensed, tighter than before and I felt his bloody seed shoot on to my stomach. It hit me in sharp, copious jolts, shooting as far up as to land on the side of my neck. My entire body was engulfed in flames and I let go; my cock jerking and twitching deep in his body.

I clenched him close to my body, my face in the space below his neck. Each eruption rocked my body in a feeling that was too great to describe. When they finished I was on my back, Leon lying on top of me, the sheets plumed up all around us.

"J'taime." He whispered.

"J'taime de toute de mon cœur..." He giggled and kissed my chest.

Dawn was hours away, but I was content to spend the remainder of the night with my Love. If he felt otherwise, he held his peace.

* * *

The evening came to us and I awoke feeling drained. Then it came back to me, Ondre drank from me last night and gave me an orgasm that shook me to my bones. I stretched out and pulled my fingers across his chest. He stirred soon after and rolled over, grabbing me in his arms.

"Good evening." He mumbled, his arm lazily laying over mine.

"Bonsoir, mon amour." I pulled his hand to my chest and cradled it close. We lay like this for a time until Ondre shuffled behind me and tapped my chest.

"Let's take a shower."

"Okay." I kissed his hand and we climbed off the bed. I stumbled, feeling the effects of Ondre's feeding. He caught me, his arms around my waist.

"You need to feed..." His eyes were wide with concern. I touched his face and pulled myself up, hoping to stop acting so helpless around him. It was in vain; I fell over again. His arms were around me again, holding me to his chest.

"Here-" Ondre drew his arm to his mouth, his fangs flipping forward slowly. He was offering me his blood, as he had so many times before. He and I both had given our blood out countless times in our lives; its ability to heal the wounds of a feeding is paramount in keeping a secret feeding secret. But for him to offer me his blood, to drink directly from his flesh, it was an act of devotion.

I snatched his arm from his mouth and pulled it to mine. He watched as I drew my fangs and held his arm to my mouth. We sank to the floor, standing on our knees. I kissed his arm, trailing my lips across his skin. I took in a breath of his robust, earthy scent and plunged my teeth into his flesh. He jerked, and pulled me close to him as I fed.

I could taste the faerie blood inside him, its magic potent as ever, yet there was nothing but a trace left. A trace that forced everything else from my mind, it danced among his blood and with each swallow I felt the weight lifting from my own.

"Leon-" Ondre patted the side of my face and resisting the temptation I pulled my teeth from his skin and in the fleeting ecstasy of faerie, I felt his lips force me to the floor.

* * *

Artemis and I were standing in my closet, each of us wearing a fuzzy bath-robe. Hers was as luxurious as mine, but was standard; white, long, and clunky. Mine was a rich red and came to a stop far enough below my waist to cover my modesty, but nothing more, its belt much higher on the waist.

"These are nice." She held the pants I wore to Queen Torllona's coronation.

"They were, made quite a statement with this belt." I handed her the shimmery silver belt I wore on that night. She held it with a puzzled look on her face.

"You wore this over your waist?"

"I did."

"Your bare waist?" Her eyes held a shame I did not know.

"Something wrong?"

"Ugh-no. I just wouldn't do that..." She laid the belt over a hanging bar behind us.

"You wouldn't do what?"

"Show off my stomach like that..."

"Why not?" I turned and faced her, holding another belt just like the first, only thinner and golden.

"Well, if I had a stomach like you, I guess I would...But I don't..." This was a subject I wished I hadn't unearthed, but it appeared before me for a reason, and I would try my best to be a good maker.

"I'm sorry, but your body will stay the way it is. I hope you can make peace with it soon. You have a beautiful figure." I touched her shoulder and turned back around. It felt like it was enough, but I couldn't be sure.

"Hmmm-" Artemis grunted and picked up the silver belt, looking at it with the eyes of a curious child. I pulled the knot from the belt of the robe and slipped it from my shoulders. It fell to the white stone and I began to dress. Perhaps I should have sent Artemis from the room, or at least given her warning, but she was my progeny. We shared blood, flesh is nothing but flesh.

She drew a sharp breath and averted her eyes, I could feel them flicking over me, and although the closet was the size of the home we were given by Jackson Smith, I doubt it could have felt more intimate.

"Artemis!" I snapped. "As your maker, I command you to look. Look at me!" Her face jerked towards me with wide eyes. "I am your maker, if you want to look at me, do it. Now find an outfit, we have plans." She kept her eyes to me for a few moments longer but I began to dress, and not too long afterwards we both exited my bedroom, our outfits impeccable.

Artemis' long, curly hair flowed around her shoulders and bounced jovially with each step. She wore one of my tiaras; it was one Annabelle left after her death, but to see it on her I knew it could belong to no one but Artemis. It was made of white gold, with diamond inlay, but its focal point was the giant crescent-moon shaped sapphire; its sparkling face set off most beautiful highlights in her eyes.

Around her neck she wore a collar of diamonds, one of my favorite pieces, but for tonight it was all hers. Her coat was made of rich velvet the color of the ocean, it plumed around her hips and fluttered like a skirt. Her legs were covered by a pair of what she called 'skinny jeans' that were as dark as the night, and a knee high pair of riding boots to finish off the outfit.

I recycled the coat I wore home from New York City and coupled it with a loose but tailored charcoal gray tunic. I wore my favorite pair of skin-tight leather pants and wedges wrapped in yellow and black striped suede. We fluttered down the stairs with the elegance provided by immortality and when we reached the front room I heard Ondre start down the stairs for us.

He came around the corner, his top unbuttoned. I watched his rigid stomach as he descended, coming to my side and taking my arm once he reached the ground floor.

"I love those shoes." He spun me around in his arms.

"So I've heard." Then he leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"You look nice tonight." He said to Artemis. She ducked her head and hurried a 'Thanks' before trying to disappear again.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" I asked, hanging on to his side.

"Cicero's." He began for the door, Artemis following behind him.

"Cicero's?" The vampire-human night club he had taken me to some time ago.

"Yes." He was at the door, looking back at me. "Are you coming?" I don't know why I hesitated, but after a moment to pull my thoughts together I followed him out. He pulled me to his side and spoke into my ear. "First, take Artemis on a hunt. We don't need her losing control at a place like that. I'll meet you there." He laid a kiss on my lips and then took off.

"Whoa! He's fast..." Artemis said turning back to look at me.

"Come on, let's get something to eat..." Her eyes brightened with newborn bloodlust as she and I went into the darkness to find our meal.

I had reservations about leaving Olivia alone in my home, but if Ondre trusted her, I could too.

For now.

* * *

"You chose the name Artemis for a reason-"

"I thought she was the moon goddess!" She whispered.

Nearly a hundred yards ahead of us was a younger man, no older than Artemis or I. A bag slung around his shoulder with bright white, capsule shaped headphones in his ears.

"Artemis was Goddess of the Hunt. Now hunt-" I grabbed her at her neck and threw her his direction. His back was turned and he was totally oblivious to the two vampires greedily eyeing his blood. His head bobbed up and down to the beat of the song he listened to. Our hearing was so advanced I could hear every word of the nonsensical lyrics, and every scratchy note played from the electric guitar. I'm sure he must have liked it; I couldn't wait for it to stop.

Artemis looked back at me with eyes that made me think of a doe on the roadside; full of apprehension and confusion.

"GO!" I said, waving my hand at her. She ducked her head, and after making the most amusing face I'd ever seen on an immortal, slowly began to make her way towards the man. She approached from behind, which would have been perfect had we wanted to end his life. Before she could pounce, I intervened.

The man jumped when he saw me before him, dropping the music playing device he held in his hands. He was fast though, and caught it in midair.

"Oh! Hi, didn't see you there." He said, removing one of the miniscule speakers from his ear. "Nice night isn't it? A little cold, but nice." He looked up at the sky, then back to me. Artemis was behind him, a disoriented stare on her face.

"It is quite nice." This was a technique I acquired from Ondre. Giving your prey any information besides what they asked for was stupid. To appear, take, and disappear; that was our purpose here.

"Didn't think I'd see anyone else out here, where'd you come from?"

"Not too far."

"Ah. You live around here?"

"Nearby...I'm sorry; I never got your name."

"Oh! I'm so rude, my name is Jacob. And you?" This was the pivotal moment in the hunt. We had all we needed to subdue our prey, and I motioned for Artemis, who stepped around the man and appeared at my side. I could feel the spike in his fear, his heart grabbing a gear.

"Jacob, this is Artemis."

"Hello ma'-" His face went blank and his eyes sank into their sockets.

"Jacob, everything's going to be alright." She said slowly, spreading her influence over the man's mind. I smiled, feeling pride in my newborn. She had taken to the life of a vampire with surprising tenacity, her fear of coffins notwithstanding. "You got nothing to worry about; you don't have a care in the world." His lips quivered and lazily turned up into a dumb smile.

"Everything's okay?" He asked.

"It's perfect." I said to her.

"Everything's perfect." She said to him.

"Perfect..." Jacob sighed, the smile spreading across his face.

"Put him under. Make him sleep." I was at her side watching her hypnotism.

"Everything is perfect, except how tired you are."

"Tired?"

"Exhausted. You can't even hold your eyelids off of your eyes." His body swayed and he drew a long breath which ended in a yawn. "You can't fight it anymore, it's no use."

"No use-"

"Your bed is warm, and your body is aching for sleep. Don't fight it, give in to sleep." The man's face was vacant but his muscles relaxed, dropping his mouth open. He drew another breath and fell over, hitting the cold, muddy ground. "Holy shit! Holy shit! I did that! I put him to sleep! Did you see!?" Artemis bounced with excitement, her fangs drawn. She grabbed my arm and pointed at the man on the ground.

"Did you see? I did that! I just...I put a guy to sleep with my mind!"

"Yes, you did. Good work. Now pick him up, there's no need for him to catch pneumonia."

"Oh! Right…Sorry." She bent over and with her panicky, jerky movements threw Jacob over her shoulder.

He was a fine meal, his blood was thick with youthful testosterone, and gave him a taste like boar. Artemis said he tasted like bacon; something I'd have never expected to hear from a newborn. After we drank, taking only what we needed, I let Artemis close his wounds. It was her catch, and her responsibility to release it.

She resisted sharing her blood however.

"Won't that hurt?"

"Yes." She grumbled and looked off hesitantly. "Artemis! Give this man your blood before he dies! As your maker I command you!" She snarled and bit into her finger, cleaving gaping holes in her flesh. She smeared the blood on his neck and arm where we opened him up. The blood soaked into his skin and within seconds both Artemis and Jacob looked no worse than they had before.

"Drop him by the tree we found him at." Borrowing another page from Ondre's book I wiped my face clean with what Artemis called a 'Moist Towelette', or some such atrocity. After she placed Jacob by his bag I handed her the wipe. She cleaned her mouth and finger and gave it back to me.

"Really?" I took it from her hand and stuffed it into the back pocket of my pants, making note to dispose of it at Cicero's. Our meal began to stir, and grabbing her arm I took off into the thicket, making way for the road.

* * *

Coming to the blocky, windowless building was quite underwhelming. Artemis scrunched her nose and asked me, "It that it? That's Cicero's?" She did not know what I knew.

"Yes, it is." I pointed at the glowing red letters on the front. "Don't be so judgmental, most of its underground."

"Underground? Like-"

"Below our feet, yes. Come on, I want to find Ondre." The entrance was nothing but a greeting parlor. A young, beautiful vampire took one look at us and smiled, stepping from behind her booth.

"Leon, Artemis?" She asked.

"Ugh-Yes, that's us." I responded. The last time I was here Ondre just pulled us through without a word to anyone.

"Good evening, my name is Mirabella. Welcome to Cicero's. Please, follow me." She was friendly and led us down the grand staircase that opened up to the formal reception area. The walls were draped in diagonally striped red and gray wallpaper, and were lit by the overhead chandelier. Ahead of us was another staircase, with two more opposing their twin in the center of the room. I could hear what I knew as a night of good business; laughter and drinking, both humans and vampires.

"The way I understand it, you've been here before, haven't you?" She turned and asked me, leading us down the central staircase.

Great; another pretty female immortal who knew more about me than I did her.

"Once...I'm sorry, Mirabella, how do you know anything about me?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I'm the manager here at Cicero's."

"Ah, well, that's nice. Look, I'm meeting someone here. Do you know where Ondre is sitting?"

"Of course I know where Ondre is, I'm taking you to him right now." She led us into the lowest part of the establishment, nearly sixty to seventy feet below the streets above, and into the offices. I couldn't help but to think of the times I was led about similar hallways under the employment of Jacqueline.

Mirabella escorted us down the hall and to a large door; wide enough to allow all three of us through at once. There, at a desk with his feet kicked up on the top, sat my Love.


	31. Money Honey

~Ondre

The look on Leon's face when he saw me at Cicero's was priceless. It took him less than a second to put it together.

"You own it, don't you?" He asked, stepping towards me, ignoring Mirabella behind him.

"I do." I laid my feet on the floor and stood. He shook his head and laughed to himself.

"Knew it. I knew it."

"I asked Mirabella to keep an eye out for you, and lead you here once you arrived. As far as she knew, you were in the loop. Sorry, my Love." He was quiet for a moment, and shoved me away.

"Do you own any other business?"

"I own several."

"In this area?"

"A few." I sat down at my desk and reached out for him. He looked at me and bit at his lip before falling into my lap.

"Thank you, Mirabella. That is all." Mirabella gave a nod and hurried out of the office, shutting the doors behind her.

"Is she one of yours too?" He asked.

"No, just a friend." I laid my hand on his hip and kissed at his neck. He smelled of blood; he and Artemis fed from the same human, I could smell him on them.

"Feeling better?"

"I am."

"Good." He smiled at me, tucking his bottom lip under the top and leaning in for a kiss. I rocked back in the chair and wrapped him in my arms. We were locked together for a moment until he pushed me away and stood up. Reaching into his back pocket he removed a bloodied scrap of paper and tossed it into the wastebasket by my desk.

"So, why exactly are we here?" He asked, clicking his heels on the floor.

"I'm here to count receipts. You're here to remind me how much I hate this shit."

"We're leaving? We just got here." Artemis chimed in. "I sort of like it here. It's got a nice vibe...Morbid, but sophisticated."

"She's starting to sound like you Leon, dress like you too."

"Hush." He touched the side of my face, pulling me to his lips. His kiss drew me from my seat and into his arms which gracefully draped around my neck. I rested my hands on his hips and for a time he was all I could perceive.

"Ondre? Leon? Hello!" Artemis shouted, and we parted.

"Yes?"

"Something amiss?" Leon playfully traced circles in the recently-shortened hair on the back of my skull.

"Ugh-No. You guys just sort of spaced."

"We were kissing."

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes and sighed. She didn't want to see this, not in such an intimate setting, so I gave her the relief she sought.

"Come on; let's go up, I'll buy you a drink." I tugged at Leon's waistband and he bumped against me.

"Alright." He bit his bottom lip again, and after we kissed once more I sent him and Artemis on. I grabbed my coat and locked the door, shutting it as I chased after them.

* * *

"How's that?" The bartender handed Artemis a drink. She took a sip and her face revealed her thoughts. She licked at her lips, her mouth sinking into a frown.

"She's new." I defended. The bartender gave me a look as if to say that wasn't the problem. I had little problem with the blood substitute but in truth it didn't taste like true blood, not in the least. Most vampires, however, couldn't stand it. "So, what do I owe you?"

"Nothing. It's on the house." The bartender grinned and having another order been placed, went to work on it

"Here, this is disgusting. You drink it." Artemis handed me her drink.

"I don't want it."

"Well, I certainly don't want it." She pushed it away from her, sliding it down the bar. I shook my head and spun around in the bar stool. Ondre had been gone for nearly an hour now, and I had no idea where he was. It was stressful, being without him. Every thought came at me like a nail through a board; every shrill laugh, every cough, every step. They pounded at my skull and clawed at my eyes.

I cupped my hands over my face and tried to block them out. I heard a man step up to the bar from the crowd; he sat beside Artemis and ordered a beer. The bartender opened it and instantly the disgusting, fermented scent hit my nostrils. It was enough to knock me over and it became ever more difficult to remove myself from the environment.

"Hi." The human said, clearly speaking to Artemis.

"Oh God-" She said under her breath. I couldn't quite explain it, but the more time I spent with Artemis, the more amusing she became to me.

"What's your name?" He asked her. She remained unresponsive. "I'm Todd, nice to meet you." At this point, I couldn't stop myself from watching the fiasco before me. He extended his hand to her with a cool confidence about him. It hovered in the air for a moment longer than a rejection would take and then, to his surprise, and mine, she took it and pulled him in close.

"Todd. You're not thirsty anymore. And you're going home." She looked away and the man got up, paid for his drink and left; his beer on the bar beside Artemis' TruBlood. She shook her head and touched her fingers to her temple. The bartender was twirling a glass in his hands, drying it with a towel. He laughed, and walked off.

"That was interesting."

"I hate men." She said.

"Really?"

"Really. I'm a lesbian. Pleasure to meet you." I laughed, and took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Makes all these...feelings for you really hard to deal with." She shook her head and looked up at me. A shard of light struck the sapphire in her hair and bounced around her face.

I'm sure, had I been attracted to women, she would have been mine. But never in my life had I found the female form desirous, in truth, it repulsed me.

"When did you know?" I asked her.

"I was young, real young."

"Me too. I remember growing up watching my brother fumbling behind the women in town like a slack-jawed idiot."

"They'll do that...Gold-star?"

"Gold star? What do you mean?"

"Sorry, its slang, meaning you've only slept with members of the same sex."

"Well, in that case, I am a Gold Star Homosexual." She shook her head, laughing at me.

"No one says that anymore."

"Homosexual?"

"No, it's so dated. We say gay, or lesbian."

"Ah. I see. In my day, we didn't say anything."

"Really?"

"Really. It would have been a death sentence."

"Wow..."

"Almost was-" She was quiet, and her eyes drifted to her shoes.

"Well, times have changed."

"No, they haven't. The hate is still there, only now it's directed at us."

"Vampires..." She said slowly.

"Exactly. Before Russell Edgington we had a chance at mainstreaming-"

"Now?"

"Well, I don't see it ending well. We're scary, we can do frightening things."

"That doesn't mean we're monsters."

"Now you understand the plight of the modern-day vampire. Congratulations." She chuckled quietly, and after a few moments of silence I caught Ondre's scent. He was behind me, his hands on my shoulders.

"You ready to get out of here?" He gently dug his thumbs into the meat of my shoulders.

"Where did you go? Artemis got hit on, she glamoured him away. It was hysterical." Ondre laughed, and bumped into my back.

"Shame I missed it. Garrett was here, he's been made Sheriff of Area 43. He was stopping by before heading for the coast."

"The coast?"

"Area 43 is the southern coastal region of Virginia." I informed my newborn. "Well, thank you for sparing me his company."

"You're welcome, my Love. But he was here only a moment or two, Mirabella was having trouble with a few reckless newborns. I set them straight." He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

"First act as Sheriff?"

"I suppose it was." With this I stood and grabbed Ondre's hand.

"Take me with you next time?" Ondre smiled and pulled me to his side.

"Alright. Promise." He kissed my cheek and moved behind me. From the way he pushed against me, I knew what he was thinking. He kissed the side of my face and laid his hands on my hips.

"Artemis, we're leaving. Are you coming?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and stood, following Ondre and I out of the building.

* * *

Olivia met us in the front room.

"I've compiled a spread of suitable furniture, as you asked, Ondre."

"Thank you Olivia. Take your time showing them to Leon."

"Wait, what's going on?" I stammered, confused.

"Olivia pieced together a collection of furniture you're going to look at, and if you like it, we buy it."

"Just like that? I want it, I get it?"

"Just like that."

"I want you, stay with me. Help me?" He exhaled, a reluctant smile coming to his face.

"Alright. Olivia, have the list sent to my tablet, you can take the rest of the evening off." She appeared pleased with this, and after doing as Ondre asked, quickly exited the house.

"Come on; come spend my money with me." He pulled me up the stairs where his computer waited for us.

* * *

Under the heading 'Tables' there were five separate categories, each one contained at least a hundred choices. 'Seating', 'Storage', and 'Decor' were the other headings, each with as many listings as the one before it. I saw more furniture than I knew could exist, each one with something new and different to set it apart from the others.

So far Ondre and I were buying a sectional-sofa with a frame made of wood a tone darker than that of our bed. There was also a coffee table made of the grindstone of a windmill from a time gone by, along with a pair of end tables carved from thick, round logs to go on either side of our bed. The total stood at just under fifty-thousand dollars, and I couldn't bring myself to spend another penny of his fortune, regardless of how much he pushed.

"Well, that's enough for tonight I suppose." He laid the small computer to the side. "Shouldn't take them but a week or so to get here." He stretched out and pulled a pillow under his head, his free hand slipping under my waistband. "Lay with me?" He scooped his finger out and after pulling the coat over my head I peeled my legs free from the pants and lay down beside him.

Ondre rolled over and cradled me to his chest, lightly stroking my deltoid with his fingertips.

"I love you, Leon."

"I love you, Ondre." With this he pulled me closer, and threw his leg between mine, locking us together.

"To think, I had such big plans for tonight." Ondre chuckled, and rocked me back into his body.

"What did you have planned for tonight?"

"Nothing in particular." He laughed again, and rolled over, pulling me onto his chest.

"I know something you could do."

"And what's that?" Without a verbal answer, he gave me all the response I needed. His hands were on my back, pushing up my shirt as his mouth sweetly touched mine. My shirt was off and on the floor when he flipped us over again, my legs on either side of his hips. He bit my lip, drawing a drop of blood from a wound that closed instantaneously.

"Ugh!" I pushed him away, but he came back without hesitation; more aggression, more tenacity. His mouth closed around my neck and I felt him sucking my flesh past his lips. He stayed there for a moment, and with his hands below my waist my mind trailed off, becoming lost in the wispy tendrils of smoke that was my Love. His lips danced on my neck, his hands teased and fluttered around my cock.

"You're so hard." He kissed my stomach.

"Surprised?"

"Not in the least." Lower and lower he travelled down my body until I felt his wet lips around the tip of my bloated organ. I watched him holding it in his hand, a firm fist at the base giving him total control over it. He slid his lips along the underside, his tongue slipping out near the center. He pushed it on to my stomach and lifted my legs over his shoulders then buried his face in the deep recesses of my body.

"Agh! Ouuhh-Ondre...Nngh!" His tongue was enough to paralyze me; flicking and tapping, stroking and massaging. He worked my body into a total stupor, he was all I could feel, all that existed, and when he stopped he climbed on top of me. I threw my arms behind his neck and we shared an intoxicatingly eager kiss.

"Turn over-" He said quietly "Turn over." He whispered in my ear. His command was beyond reproach and I did exactly as he ordered.

Hours had passed before Ondre finished inside of my body, my seed sprinkled on our chests. We laid on the bed, trapped in the warmth of the afterglow. Dawn was less than an hour away, but Ondre couldn't stand to have seed spilled on him and after a long, peaceful shower we retired for the day.

* * *

Sunlight was sneaking into our bedroom through the window at our side. It streaked across Ondre's chest and struck me directly in the eyes, a feat accomplished by light most easily when sleeping. It was warm, hot even, but I did not burn; it was a dream. I shook the light from my eyes and reached over to Ondre, feeling his warm, human flesh under my hand.

His heart was beating, steady and strong; living, oxygenated blood pumping through his veins. I took in a breath of his musky, sickly sweet sweat. It stung, and burnt, but I couldn't get enough. I inhaled again and again, climbing on him as I did.

He was alive; sweating, digesting, and rotting.

"Good morning-" He said, his eyes crusted with tiny, yellow crystals. I couldn't respond and found myself in awe of the beauty of his living flesh. His skin had been kissed by a golden drop of sunlight, and the blood beneath it gave him the slightest hint of pink. There were beads of sweat at the base of his neck and mist on his forehead.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked with his hands on my ears. I giggled and dropped my chin to his chest.

"No, just staring." I kissed him, the essence of his sleep. He played in my hair, twisting it in his fingers, his thumbs massaging the space in front of my ears. It was soothing, and quieted the world around us. I shut my eyes and let him continue, taking another deep inhale his scent diminished. And with another, it slipped further away until he was gone.

I opened my eyes, seeing our absurdly large bedroom, and our equally large, and equally empty bed. There was a handwritten note on the bed where I expected to find Ondre. The room was silent, down the hall I could hear Artemis fumbling with her sheets, trying to make her bed. I sighed, fighting off the disheartened thoughts running rampant through my mind and grabbed the note from the bed.

"My Leon~

Summoned by the Queen before you woke up, be back soon.

J'taime"

It was his handwriting. The long tail on the Q in 'Queen', the hat atop the L in 'Leon'; I knew it anywhere. I waved it under my nose and I could smell him on it. With what little I had been given I had to assume he'd be back soon.

Soon, but not soon enough.

I fell back into the bed and after moment of silence I stood to dress. Being alone in the room forced me to see how empty it was, with no windows it was the perfect room for a vampire, but it was nothing without my vampire. I chose a black shirt from my closet and a scandalously short pair of underwear, stepping into them when I heard the front door open and shut, followed by the door to our bedroom opening and shutting.

"Miss me?" He was behind me, his hands at my sides.

"You have no idea." I spun around and laid my hands on his shoulders. His face seemed darker than I to remembered. I got in closer and there it was, dusted all over his cheeks, jaw, and chin was his black stubble. I touched it, feeling it prick and poke at my flesh.

"You like it?" He turned his face into my hand.

"I do. It's very nice." It was just shorter than the hair on his head, and faded out as it reached the underside of his jaw. Ondre was able to grow facial hair without the troubles it caused me; it never matted, or grew in patches. Like everything else about my barbarian, it was perfect. I rubbed the back of my hand on it and a smile spread across Ondre's face.

"You really like it."

"I really do." He exhaled in a chuckle and pulled me to his body. I could smell the Queen on him; she reeked of newborn blood, another brood of her hatchlings.

"You stink."

"I know." I took another breath and I could smell something different. Not new, I knew the scent but I couldn't place it. The strain showed on my face, Ondre must have known what troubled my mind as he clarified without hesitation.

"Werewolf. That's what you smell."

"Werewolf? You were around werewolves?"

"I passed a pack on the way home. They kept their distance."

"Smart wolves."

"Surprisingly."

It's a well-known fact that werewolves are more animal than human. They survive in packs, drawing strength from the community; led by an alpha wolf his word is law. Any wolf may challenge him, and should they overtake him will become alpha. I am ignorant to the dynamics of their social structure, I only ever knew one werewolf.

His name was Tungsten; named after the element through which light is passed and darkness is banished. His smoky brown hair swept down his back in thin, airy strands. His skin was a dark tan, rich with earthy, golden-red tones. I remember the summer we spent together in the wilds of British Colombia with great fondness. I loved him, I loved him deeply, but my heart belonged to Ondre, it always has. I still feel his heart beating, the joy on his face when his grandchildren run up to him.

He has a happy life; full of just that, life. He begged me to turn him but it was something I could not do. On our final night we laid under the moon, holding each other in the embrace of lovers. It is the last happy memory I have of him; after our time in the moonlight I wiped his mind clear of every trace I existed. He was too good for me and is now suffering with age, just the way he was meant to.

The way all of us are meant to.

"Is there a local pack?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure. I don't concern myself with them."

"For the best..." I said, feeling an ache in my chest I thought had died long ago.

"Are you alright?" He touched my arm, giving the slight bulge of muscle on it a squeeze.

"I'm fine." Ondre knew nothing about Tungsten, and seeing the look on his face, I knew there was no use in keeping it from him. He listened to me drone on about my lost love with a quiet, indistinguishable face. Once my story concluded he kept quiet; letting me stew, the way he did.

"I'm sorry you and he did not work out." I could tell from his voice he was sincere, but there was a tangible pain behind it.

"No, please Ondre. I've made my peace with it. And no, I don't prefer him to you." His eyes flashed up to me as I said this, a shameful smile radiating across his face. "I loved him, and he loved me. But our worlds are too different, he deserved life. I-" I couldn't bring myself to say what I thought.

"You deserve a life in the sun, with a man at your side to hold you through the night." He touched the side of my face, his eyes shimmering.

"I suppose a life in the dark, with a man at my side through the day will just have to do."

"I suppose it will." His smile had brightened, only slightly less broken than moments before. His eyebrows sank in the center and hung heavy over his eyes. He shut his eyes and pulled me to his chest, holding me to his breast. I tucked my hands under his shoulders and stood still with him.

"I can't give you the sun-"

"I don't want it."

"Don't lie to me. I know you do. I've watched you burn to catch a glimpse of it." Sadly, he was true. I missed the sun dearly. I wanted to walk through the forest and hear the sounds of life, not predation. It was too much to vocalize, so I didn't.

"Tungsten? That was really his name?" He asked quietly, his voice full of amusement.

"Yes, that was really his name."

"Weres-"

* * *

~Ondre

What was this feeling in my chest? It was an emptiness, a worthlessness I couldn't fight away. Hearing of Leon's fling with a werewolf named Tungsten struck me with a pain I found hard to understand. Leon was my heart, my soul, everything important to me lay with him; to think of him with anyone but me...

It was a dreadful feeling, knowing he found happiness without me. Fleeting as it was, he was happy. He found love again. The thoughts spread over my body, enveloping me in a viscous tar. It adhered to my fingers and choked them together until I became numb to it. To look at them was a different story; they trembled and quaked with uncertainty. My mind and my eyes would focus on nothing but him, and the thoughts of losing him again were more I could stand to suffer.

"You there?" He touched my hand, instantly snapping me from my miserable mind.

"I'm here." I grabbed his hand in mine, lightly scraping the back of his hand with my thumb.

"Thought I had lost you there for a moment."

"Impossible." The left corner of his mouth turned up and he turned his head away. I couldn't let go and instead pulled him on to my lap. He didn't resist, and eagerly sat down on top of me. We were in the pool room, spread out on a wooden lounge chair that had arrived during the day. It was one of several deliveries made, but for the time being, we settled into this one.

His hair draped under my chin, his sweet, fruity, minty scent lapping at my nostrils. I trailed my fingers along his side and reached his bathing suit. I tucked a finger under the waistband and slipped it back out; a playfully seductive smile on his face when he felt it. He leaned on me and forced his body against mine before shoving himself away and diving into the water.

He left me with an urge that grew and multiplied with every glance at his beautiful form under the water's surface. He laid himself down on the bottom of the pool and held his hand up to me, a beckoning finger dancing in the calm waters. I stood and threw the robe from my arms and dove in, sinking to the bottom with him.

At the bottom there was nothing but the two of us. No need for air I climbed atop and pulled his face to mine. We tumbled weightless in the water, supported on all sides by its cool and unforgiving embrace. His lips were as soft and inviting as they had ever been. Kissing him here, away from the world; it was more of dream than I could imagine.

He opened his eyes and backed away from me, then touched his finger to my chin. He jerked his head up towards the surface then pointed and rose out of the water. On the edge of the water was Olivia, looking down with the jealous face she seemed to paint on every evening.

I watched Leon climb from the pool and surfaced after him.

"This came for you." She handed Leon an envelope and walked off without a second look at him.

"I don't think she likes me very much..." He said before she was out of earshot.

"She just misses her Sheriff back home. What's this?" I patted at the beads of water streaming down my face with a towel and moved closer to Leon.

"I'm not sure-" He turned it over in his hands. It was addressed to him, with no more identifying information.

"I know what it is."

"What is it?"

"Open it." I pushed it towards him, with excited eyes he tore the envelope apart. He pulled a letter from it and began to scan it with his eyes. I knew what it said, and what it was for.

The Queen had done as I asked, and deposited an incredible amount of money into Leon's account, an account I'm sure he knew nothing about.

"Oh-Damn!" He said, focusing his eyes on the paper. "Ondre. I've just been given five million dollars...It's in some account overseas..."

"Yes, should it have been deposited into Uncle Sam's banks you'd have been taxed until you bled."

"Is this that bonus you told the Queen about?"

"I can only assume." He was quiet for a time, and after a moment shoved the paper on me.

"I don't want this."

"It's yours."

"No, it supposed to be yours."

"No, it was the Queen's, now it's yours. I never touched it." I gave it back to him.

"I don't want it!"

"Leon, it's just money-"

"Then you take it. I don't want it!" This was a struggle I could see was in vain. The last time I tried to pass a generous figure his way it ended in a near argument, so I let this one go and resigned to have Abraham Mortimer tuck it away for a time ahead.

"Okay. I'll take it." I took the paper; it held no value, only represented the vast sum of money Leon had been gifted with.

"Thank you. I'm perfectly content to spend your money." He grabbed my hands with a thankful smile on his face. I could resist the laugh and we shared a sweet moment together before Artemis burst into the room.

"Oh! Ugh, sorry. Don't mind me." Wearing the same one-piece she had her on her last dip, she dove in and swam a ways before surfacing.

"Artemis, is that the only one you have?"

"Only what?"

"Bathing suit."

"I guess so."

"No. No, that will not do. Dry off, we're going shopping. No, wait here." Leon kissed me and bumped his hips to mine before disappearing. Artemis stared at the paper in my hands with a puzzled look on her face.

"How much?" She asked with her eyes on the statement.

"Five million dollars."

"Damn!" She shook her head and before we could exchange again, Leon appeared at the lip of the pool fully dressed with a pair of shoes and a dress for Artemis to wear. He held out his hand and pulled her up.

"Put these on, you need more clothes."

"Where the hell did you find this?" I asked, lifting up the hem of the dress. It was lovely, a soft, creamy white satin thrown over the shoulder like a toga.

"Olivia let me borrow it." Artemis said, water streaming down her long hair.

"It was in her room." Leon said to me, handing the dress her way.

"Shouldn't I like, dry off first?"

"Hmm...Yes. Shake."

"Shake?"

"Yes, shake."

"Like a dog?"

"No, like a vampire. You'll dry within seconds." It was a trick Leon picked up from me, in a world without proper washrooms, we'd found ways to remove all sorts of debris from our bodies. Artemis stared at Leon like he had spoken French, or perhaps Russian and totally refrained from moving.

"Agh-" He rolled his eyes and dipped his hand into the pool. "Like this." He flipped his hand through the air at the speed of a vampire sending tiny droplets of water into the air. Within in a second flat, he stopped and his hand was dry as it had been before.

"Ugh...Okay." Artemis began with her arms, then her legs, which moved just as awkwardly. After a moment, she was dry, her hair an airy mess all over her head. Leon snickered and handed her the dress.

"Just like that." He helped her into her shoes and with a kiss, and a credit card, they were gone.

Olivia appeared behind me and stood in silence.

"Yes?" I said without turning.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"The way I've treated Leon. He's a good man. He's lucky to have you."

"No. I've wronged him more times than he should ever have forgiven me for. I'm the fortunate one." I turned and saw Olivia; she kept her eyes to the floor but flashed them up at me and tapped her foot to the floor. "You may go Olivia. We've settled in quite nicely. I'm sure you miss your Sheriff."

"I do. Thank you Ondre." Olivia was my progeny, my child. Regardless of her feelings for me or Leon, I cared for her, and she cared for me. There was no resentment between us, and so when she left an hour later I let her go with a loving embrace.

"I'll be in touch." She smiled, and set her suitcase by the door before throwing her arms around my neck.

"I love you Ondre."

"I love you." She held herself to me for a time longer than I'm sure Leon would have been comfortable, but she was of my blood, and I let her do as she wished.

"Thank you, Olivia."

"Don't mention it." With that, I was alone.

* * *

There were as many more places to shop as there had been on our last visit. The incredible wealth flowing into the area from the pockets of the surrounding immortals was enough to force all sorts of upstart businesses around town. There was what appeared to be a vampire-hookah bar starting up beside the boutique, inside I could see a team of vampires running about, wiring, building, sealing; all sorts of things I knew nothing about.

"Let's start here." She said, opening the door to Moonlyt for me. Once inside, we were met by the same immortal who marveled at Ondre's credit card during our last visit.

"Hello. Welcome to Moonlyt. Is there anything I can help you with, this evening?"

"No, we're fine, thank you." I said, and before she could leave us, Artemis spoke up.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could show me your bathing suits." The woman smiled and took Artemis' arm, leading her through the store. I'm sure I could have followed, had I wanted, but a pair of shoes to the wall beside me held me fully entranced.

They were exquisite. A thin, near invisible spike acted as the heel, the toe flat to the floor it would have been enough to break a neck, had that been a possibility. They were wrapped in golden leather stylized like feathers, or scales. I instantly thought of the wooden draconic shoes I'd worn many times before, but these were something altogether different.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Said a young man standing to my side. He plucked the shoe from the wall and held it in his hands. He was short, much shorter than me, but the shoes he wore gave him a bit of height. "You wouldn't believe the respect a man can get in a pair of heels."

"Tell me about it."

"Markus." He held out his hand, I touched it in an old-world style greeting.

"Leon."

"Nice to meet you, Leon. The newborn, she yours?"

"Yes. She is."

"She's beautiful, you must be very proud." I smiled, and gave my head a tilt.

"She's taking to it quite well, I must say."

"I'm sure. Would you like to try these on? I'm thinking I'll need to find a bigger size though." His eyes drifted down to my abdomen, then lower past my knees, and settling on my feet before lazily starting back up my body. "Ten and a half?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your shoe size. Ten and a half?"

"Oh! Yes. I thought-Nevermind." Markus smiled and laid the shoe back on its display.

"This way." He turned around and with his heels clicking on the wooden floor, led me into another room of the shop. The room was incredibly small and in spite of the curtain over the doorway, very private.

"I'll be right back, please, have a seat." He stepped back out of the room, closing the curtain behind him. For a moment, I was quite amazed as to how I ended up here. Markus, while seeming to be a very nice immortal, was obviously looking at this encounter with more than a sale in mind.

I sat in the oversized chair for a moment, perhaps two, and upon standing to leave I was met by Markus.

"Going somewhere?" He held the pair of shoes in my size; they were perfect.

"Ugh-"

"Something wrong?"

"No. No. Sorry." I sat back down and went after my shoes, unbuckling the straps on my calf.

"Let me." Markus was in front of me, crouched on one knee, shoes at his side. He loosened the straps and slid the riding boot from my leg, exposing my snow-white foot. "Here we are." He picked up a shoe and with minimal effort, was able to work my foot inside. It was tight, cramped, even, but I felt no pain and upon standing on it knew I would be leaving with the pair.

"I know that look." He looked up at me. "Sit. Let's get the other one on."

"I'd like to keep them a surprise."

"As you wish." I sat and removed the shoe, pulling my boot back up over my ankle.

"I'll be right out; could you take those to the register for me?"

"Certainly." He dipped his head and hurried from the room. I was relieved with his absence, his lusty eyes and greedy hands were too much, and had he gotten any friendlier, I'd have had his fangs. Ondre was Sheriff, and even if Markus was older than me, there was no way on Earth he'd have gotten away with anything.

I strapped my boots down tight and stood, adjusting my coat before stepping out of the awkward little room. There on the sales floor, holding a candy pink pump, was Ondre. Beside him was Markus, giving my barbarian his best flirtatious salesman.

"There is his. I'll take these in his size." Ondre was staring at me with a smile like it had been planned all along. Markus lingered, longer than Ondre, or I for that matter, liked. I had no reason to worry. Ondre shoo'd him away with a flick of his hand and made his way for me.

"Hello, my Love."

"What brought you here? How did you know we were here?"

"You're a creature of habit, my Love. And I do receive credit card statements." He touched the side of my face and threw a look around the room. "Where'd Artemis go?"

"Somewhere back there. She's shopping for bathing suits."

"What's his deal?" Ondre asked, casting an eye towards Markus.

"You know, average promiscuous salesman." Ondre chuckled under his breath and took back to looking at me.

"You find anything good?"

"Perhaps."

"A new pair of shoes?"

"As if you had to ask."

"Are they nice?"

"Would I buy them if they weren't?" Ondre leaned in and put his arm behind my head, placing a playful kiss on my forehead.

"Ugh-Leon?" Artemis said from behind us. I turned around to see her with an arm full of clothes, from what I could see there were at least three bathing suits, two dresses, four pairs of pants and several tops.

"Look at that, she gets more like you every day."

"Shut up." He tickled at my chin and together we made for the counter, Artemis piling her articles on the white marble countertop. Just then Markus appeared from the innards of the store holding two boxes; my shoes. He laid them beside the pile of clothes and after tabulating our bill met me with the greedy eyes of a man in business.

"Your total is nine-thousand, four-hundred seventy three dollars, and ninety-eight cent." The number was enough to blow me over, but Ondre was totally unfazed by it. He reached into his coat and removed his wallet, taking the card I thought he had given me out and handing it to Markus.

"Didn't you give me that?"

"No, I gave you yours."

"Mine?" I asked and fished the card from my coat. There it was in raised golden letters, my name with Ondre's account number.

"Yours." He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

Ondre carried our bags out, where we were met by the stocky oriental driver from a few nights prior. He took the bags and stored them in the trunk after helping us into the cab.

"Why the limousine? Couldn't we just run home?"

"We could, but we're not done spending money yet."


	32. A Pivotal Appearance

By the time we finished spending Ondre's money the grand total came to just over twenty-thousand dollars. Artemis was pleased, and Ondre didn't seem to care. In fact, he was quite indifferent to the eye-popping sums of money he was laying down.

In the cab of the limousine I sat beside him, my head on his shoulder, his arm around me; Artemis across the way. He pulled at strands of my hair, laying them over my neck and pawing at more.

"Enjoy yourself?" He asked lazily..

"I did. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He kissed the side of my face and turned to look at Artemis. She was neck deep in a paper bag full of her purchases. "And you?"

"Huh?" She shot up with a surprised look on her face, Ondre snatching her from the beauties she now possessed. "Oh, yeah. They're amazing! Thank you!"

"Of course." He dipped his head and pulled me closer. "I can't wait to see you in those shoes I bought."

"Which ones?"

"Which ones do you think?"

"Pink?"

"Yes, the pink."

"They are pretty great-" Artemis said, looking over a pair of crimson-red pants we found at a store named 'Blood and Bones'. It was less boutique and more burlesque than Moonlyt, something I could certainly appreciate. "I can't wait to show these to Olivia." She said holding the pants to her chest, looking down the front.

"I'm sure she'd love to see them, but I'm afraid she took her leave."

"What?" I wasn't surprised to see her go, it was obvious she couldn't stand to see me with her maker. I was relieved; her presence was dark, ominous even. A brooding, jealous energy surrounded her on our every encounter, regardless of how generous I was with my kindness.

"I sent her back home. Her place is not here, she has her own Sheriff to look after."

"Does that mean I'm to look after you?"

"No more than I look after you." He smiled and slid his hand farther down my side. It stopped at my waist and trailed no lower, rooting itself to my side.

"So, what exactly does a Sheriff do? Can you arrest vampires?"

"I can, but it doesn't exactly work like that. A Sheriff is more of a peace-keeper. They look after the vampires of the area, protect them, make sure they're not tearing holes in the human population. We also ensure the humans are not harming vampires. Since the Great Revelation, vampire kidnappings, once a laughable idea, have become reality."

"How could a human kidnap a vampire? We're faster, and stronger-"

"Silver."

"Silver?"

"Have you taught her nothing?" He squeezed my side and leaned in towards Artemis. "Silver will melt your flesh, burn it away. In the process it will render you immobile."

"I thought that was werewolves?"

"No, that's just a rumor circulated by vampires centuries ago."

"And garlic?"

"Repugnant, but not allergenic."

"Holy water?" At this Ondre fell back into the seat.

"Holy water has no effect on us."

"Holy water has no effect on anyone." I threw at her. Ondre chuckled and lifted his hand from my side to again play with my hair.

"Okay, so why would a human want to kidnap a vampire?"

"To get our blood. You remember the first man you fed from, when you glamoured him, he said he was addicted to it?" She nodded once, looking solemn. "Well, some addicts take to extremes to get it; Capturing and draining any immortal stupid enough to fall into their trap."

"Could that happen to one of us?"

"Not in my area." Ondre's voice was strong and firm.

* * *

It was different being home without Olivia. I hardly ever saw her when she was here, but now that she was gone I felt no desire to restrain myself from Ondre, not that I withheld much during her stay.

"Thank you, Mao; that will be all. Park the car around back in the garage and you may go."

Mao, the stocky Asian vampire, bowed his head and thanked Ondre for allowing him to serve. I'm sure it was cultural, but he seemed respectful, sincere even. Mao re-entered the vehicle and pulled around the house to store it for our next adventure and we went inside.

Ondre carried my bags, comprised of the two pairs of shoes and a few select articles I found irresistible. There was a pair of skinny-jeans that came to an abrupt stop noticeably above my ankles. Ondre found them incredibly feminine, but I saw no claim from either gender on them, and made them mine. Alongside the shoes and pants, there was a coat made from a sturdy material with the pattern of the hide of a zebra stamped to the fabric. I could not wait to see it paired with my black and white snakeskin shoes and hurried Ondre up the stairs.

"Leon?" Artemis asked.

"Yes?" I spun about, halfway to my bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Her voice was weak and quiet, with the plea of companionship ringing through.

"To put away my things, would you like to join me?"

"Well...I was kind'a hoping you'd help me..."

"With what?"

"Go on. I've got these." Ondre kissed me, grabbed the bags of clothing and shot up the stairs. Within a few seconds Artemis was by my side.

"I wanted you to help me plan an outfit." I grinned and took her hand, leading her up the stairs.

"And where might you be going?"

"Nowhere. You just always look so...good." I doubt I could explain how well flattery worked on me, and I doubt even further I need to.

* * *

~Ondre

My Love had quite the aesthetic; seeing him in stiletto-heels was enough to affirm that. His eyes didn't see as others, he saw something, whatever it may be, for what it was; good, bad, and in-between. I am a killer, a traitor, and a liar, but I am his barbarian. He is too bright a soul for the agony he has suffered.

I stood on the threshold of the room Artemis had claimed, watching him throw clothes on the floor, the bed, even Artemis was struck once or twice.

"Okay." He walked from her closet with a pair of pants hanging off his arm, a knee-length coat on his shoulder, and a pair of shoes in his hands. "Try these." He gave them to her and helped her dress. Artemis fumbled with the clothing handed her way, dropping the shoes to the floor. Leon bent over, unaware of my presence, and plucked them from the floor.

"Drop something else." I said. Leon spun around, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Pervert." He smiled and turned back to Artemis. "Come here, help this poor child." Leon held on to Artemis' arm as she slid her leg into the pants. She stumbled with the grace of a human and fell into me.

"Ugh-Thanks." She said and steadied herself, pulling the dark gray pants up to her waist. They added a depth to the geometric white and black shirt she wore, which was further accentuated by the navy blue coat. Her shoes were covered in tiny clear crystals laid over white satin with sparse placement of equally tiny sapphire-blues.

"Go on, have a look." Leon said, audibly confident in his ensemble. Artemis made for the bathroom, her ankles wobbling with each step.

"She looks good."

"She does." He agreed. A moment later I could hear Artemis marveling at herself in the mirror.

"Leon! I look amazing!" She poked her head around the doorway. "Thank you!" She raced at him, throwing her arms around him, and then running back to the mirror.

"De rien." He said and took my hand. "Quelle heure?" He asked, weaving his fingers in mine.

"Nearly three."

"Was French too hard?"

"It was." He kissed my arm and together we entered our bedroom. Leon let go of my hand and threw off the coat he wore all night, making his way to the bathroom. His shirt was next to hit the floor, and then his pants, his shoes removed some time ago with Artemis. Seeing the evidence of my less than clothed immortal I could not resist the temptation and rushed into the bathroom.

Leon was bent over the basin in the center of the room. Water ran from the long, flat slab of polished metal that served as the faucet and spilled down into the hole in the floor. With movements like a willow he ran his hand under the cascade, obviously aware of my sudden voyeurism. He sank on the balls of his feet and slipped one in, then the other, throwing a look over his shoulder.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to join me?" I unbuttoned my shirt and threw it over my shoulder, stepped out of the jeans and slipped into the tub behind my Love.

"I was afraid you weren't going to get in."

"And miss all of this?" I moved my hands around his waist, dragging them up his sides, along the length of his arms, and twisting my fingers in his. He exhaled and moved forward in the porcelain basin, giving me room to push myself on him. He bucked against me and laid his head over my neck.

He gasped as my hand snaked up his neck, the other laying over his thigh. His hands found their way to my head where his fingers gingerly massaging my scalp. It was the instrument of my weakness, and he knew just how to play it.

I knew it had only been seconds, but the interactions between us seemed to extend into hours, days even. His back arched and he clawed at my neck, my legs holding his feet to the floor of the tub.

"Bite me...Take me inside of you..."

"Only if I can be taken inside of you-"

"D'accord-" I kissed his neck, feeling his body tense up with each delicate touch, awaiting the piercing stab of my fangs. My lips fluttered about his flesh until I myself could no longer wait and I sank them into the side of his neck. His flesh gave with no objection and his blood began to seep into my mouth, pouring out around my teeth.

The scents on his skin were no comparison to the tastes of his blood. He was sweet, sweet like sugar, with a sharp bitterness, spiked with mint and lavender. I drank him down with the speed at which he flowed, taking no more than a mouthful before removing myself from his neck. He winced, removal is always more painful than insertion, and no sooner had I pulled back he was rubbing his fleshy rear on my hardening front.

I lifted him on my hips and positioned myself for penetration. My cock bobbed in the water and sprang up between his legs, standing at attention beside his. His hand gripped me in a loose fist and tugged.

"Agghh..." I let my head hang, it fell over the lip of the tub and he continued his jerking. A moment passed, perhaps more, and I felt him turning in the water. His lips were on mine before I opened my eyes and in our kiss he reached behind him, pushing my shaft towards his body.

I took over, and shifted my legs, lifting him on to my lap.

"Easy...Easy, barbarian." He touched my chest, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. It went in slow, and when I first broke through into his body he kicked his head back, his fangs shooting out of their resting place. His nails clawed at my arm with enough force to split me open, which was exactly what I had done to him.

"Ugg!" The thickest part of my shaft was now in and his body relaxed in my arms.

"Halfway-" I kissed his neck, tenderly pulling down on his hips. He groaned and retracted his fangs, falling onto my chest as I filled his tiny body with my lance. I pulled out, and slid back in.

"Ahh!" Another. Pulling farther, and shoving harder. Again, and again until he was limp in the ardor of our intimacy. "J'taime...J'taime-" He kissed my neck and turned his head to look up at me. He gasped, whimpering and quivering. "Agh...Ondre!" His body tightened, locking around me; I felt his orgasm. It was in this moment I too lost control and held his body down while I exploded inside of him.

Dawn was fast approaching and Leon and I sat in the water, which was now swirling with the thick blood we released during climax.

"We need to get to bed. We'll start bleeding soon..." With a kiss we emerged from the bathtub, let the water out and dried off before climbing into bed together; his head resting over my dead, rotten heart.

* * *

There was a sound at our door, a knocking. Artemis and I were in the pool, Ondre was out on "sheriff's business".

"Who is that?"

"Like I know." I said and climbed from the pool, throwing a towel around my waist and making for the door. I shook the water from my hair and turned the door knob, seeing one of Serana's newborns beyond it. It was the same one who brought us our invitation to his maker's coronation.

"Good evening."

"Bonsoir."

"The Queen has invited you and your newborn to dinner. Sheriff Ondre is also welcome."

"That's...surprising. When?"

"Tomorrow, at nine o'clock."

"I'd be delighted to attend, thank you."

"Of course." He smiled and was gone, running with the speed of a newborn immortal.

"Who was it?" Artemis shouted.

"One of the Queen's babies." I said and walked back to the pool. Grabbing my phone from the wooden end table I dialed Ondre's number and waited to hear his voice. It rang twice, and then there was a brief silence before his salutation.

"My Love-How are you?"

"I'm alright."

"Something wrong?" His voice faltered with concern.

"No. No, everything's fine. We've been invited to dinner at the Queen's."

"Dinner?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm-Do you want to go?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"Not really. What time?"

"Nine, tomorrow."

"Alright then. I should be back soon."

"Sooner?"

"Sooner." He agreed. "I love you."

"I love you." The phone went silent and I laid it back on the table.

"We're going to dinner? At the Queen's house?"

"We are."

"Dinner? Do we even eat?"

"No, we do not." Artemis was quiet, looking as perplexed as I felt.

"What could she be serving, then?"

"Blood. What else?"

"Like, cooked blood?"

"I doubt it."

"Frozen?"

"I haven't the slightest idea, Artemis." She grunted.

"Well, I'm excited."

"I thought you would be."

* * *

~Ondre

He walked into the room dripping in gold. He wore the same golden collar he had the first time he met the Queen, along with the golden leather shoes he just purchased. Around his wrist was a massive, wide gold bracer; farther up on his arm was a textured, gilded bangle. Covering what was left of his modesty was a pair of black pants with a dull, matte-finish.

Artemis wore a black dress that came above her knees with a pair of sparkling silver shoes and a platinum cuff. Leon dressed me, draping me in tailored shirt, fit jacket, and long, straight-leg pants in varying shades of gray and black, with a rich, vibrant red tie. I'd have loved to see Leon wearing something similar, but it wasn't him. If anything, my Love was unique.

It was currently sixty minutes from dinner with the Queen, an event I was less than eager to be attending. Being her Sheriff gave her more power over me than I would ever allow to happen, but it gave me the power to protect Leon, and to a lesser extent, Artemis.

"Stick to the roads. Shouldn't take us any more than 45 minutes." Leon said to Artemis. "Just stay close to us, we'll show you the way." Her face betrayed her anxiety; it would be her first time seeing the opulence of the Queen's estate. I almost envied her and her ignorance of the slime that is nepotistic royalty, but soon enough she would see.

"Are you ready?" Leon touched my arm, looking up into my eyes. There was an apprehension behind their golden starbursts.

"Are you?" I touched his face, trying to ease his unrest. His eyes fluttered and settled in their sockets with gentle, soft flickers. "Let's go." He smiled and took my hand as we raced out of the house and off the grounds, Artemis following close behind.

We were at the Queen's gate within the hour, our clothes only slightly damper than before.

"Welcome Sheriff, Leon, Artemis." A voice I did not recognize said through the intercom, obviously one of her hatchlings. The gate receded into the wall surrounding her property and we began for her front door. Two of her newborns stood on either side of the doors, opening them and allowing us entry. The massive front room was empty, aside from the small group of baby vampires waiting for us.

"Good Evening Sheriff. Leon, Artemis." Said one of them. "I'd you'd follow me, I'll show you to the dining area. Queen Torllona will be with you shortly. This way." He said and led us deeper into the castle.

The dining room was as large and extravagant as the rest of the house. Its ceiling was high and curved, bringing memories from my time in Europe to mind. The dining table was unreasonably long, much too long to make any sort of interaction during the meal feasible, but it was offset by the close quarters seating arrangement. In the center of the table sat a chair, flanked by two more, with another across the way, even with the middle seat. This, obviously, was the Queen's chair.

I was seated in the middle, Artemis to my left, Leon to my right, and left to wait for our monarch. We were not alone, her offspring were all around us lending to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"This is nice." Artemis exclaimed.

"Thank you." The Queen proclaimed standing dramatically in a doorway to another room.

"Your Majesty." Artemis moved to rise but Serana stopped her with a movement from her thin, lithe hand.

"Please, sit. No need for such ceremony. Welcome to my home." She commanded Leon's newborn with a slow and even voice and drew closer to us.

"Thank you for the invitation, my Queen."

"You're very welcome. Have I seen that collar before?"

"You have. It's one of my favorites."

"It is exquisite; I would certainly recycle a piece of such caliber."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." She took to her seat, sitting after it had been pulled out by one of her immortals, who then pushed it in and stepped back. Serana snapped her fingers and from another room a group of vampires appeared holding large, ornate crystal goblets. They laid one down before each of us and disappeared, another group appearing holding large blood-filled vessels.

Another snap and they filled our glasses just below the brim, leaving give for transfer and ingestion.

"This blood was donated from a girl in Latvia, never even heard the word 'internet'. Isn't that fascinating?" She ran the glass under her nose, closing her eyes as she inhaled. Leon's face revealed his shock at her behavior. I narrowed my eyes and dipped my head towards the glass before him, mouthing to him, 'Drink'.

"It smells amazing!" Artemis turned the glass up and downed it without a thought. The Queen watched her with the first recognizable smile I'd ever seen on her face.

"Such gusto! Another." Artemis' glass was filled before Leon had even the desire to taste it. I eyed him and took a drink.

It was quite delicious; her blood was clean and pure. Free of the impurities the blood of the western world was full of. I took another drink and laid my glass down.

"Delicious, my Queen." It wasn't until now that Leon touched the goblet to his lips and swallowed. I looked beside me, and saw Artemis' glass was empty again; Queen Serana obviously pleased with her enthusiasm.

"What an appetite! Goustav!" She said and a vampire, one I took to be Goustav, appeared carrying another carafe. Behind him was another carrying a tray of fresh, clean, crystal. The glasses were laid before us, and those we had just used were taken, Leon's nearly full.

"Can you smell it? I'm sure you can Ondre." The blood poured from the crystal into the gold-rimmed glass and it tickled my nose, the Queen was right. This blood was ancient, from a time long ago, before the mass industrialization of the world. "It's from before I was made, a gift from the Queen of Italy."

"Italy has a Queen?" Artemis asked out of turn. Queen Serana seemed indifferent to her outburst.

"Indeed. She's a friend of mine, was here just recently for my coronation."

"Wow. Does all of Europe have a Queen?" She chuckled, and looked at Leon.

"What have you been teaching this one?"

"Not enough, apparently."

"Europe, like the Americas, is split into territories, each governed by a sovereign. France, Italy, Spain, and the Slavic nations are ruled by Queens; Kings, the others."

"What about Russia?"

"King." Serana lifted her glass and drank some of the gifted blood. I saw Leon looking intently at the crimson liquid in his glass, desire written on every inch of his enchanting face.

"Drink, please. I assure you, you've never tasted anything like this." She looked at Leon when she said this, and as I took a drink, so did he.

"Ouhh..." He said looking into his glass, and then took another drink. "That's incredible!"

"Thank you." The Queen said, downing the last of her cup.

An hour had passed as we gorged ourselves on the most exquisite, piquant human blood I'd tasted in centuries. The Queen was currently giving us a tour of her home, the home that once belonged to Jackson Smith, former King of Virginia; Artemis was practically in her pocket, Leon and I trailing slightly behind.

"I love this!" She gasped as we came upon a massive metallic structure. It was rounded at both ends taking the shape of an hour-glass.

"It's one of my favorites, I could put you in touch with its creator, if you'd like."

"That'd be lovely, thank you, Your Majesty." Leon said. I was unsure if he actually wanted one. Should he, he'd have it. From behind us I heard someone approaching.

"Excuse me, my Queen, Chancellor Flanagan has arrived." Nan Flanagan was her maker, and Chancellor of the Authority, her appearance signaled the end of our visit.

"Thank you, Dorian. You must excuse me; perhaps we'll finish the tour at a later date. Dorian, please escort the Sheriff and his companions out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'm so sorry to cut out on you so abruptly."

"Think nothing of it, my Queen." She bowed before us and walked away, her newborn leading us from her home. Once we were far from her property Artemis began.

"I really like her. She's so nice!" Leon and I both laughed at her.

"She's a Queen."

"Exactly!"

"No, she's a Queen. Don't think for a moment your friendship with her is special." Leon shattered her fanciful dreams.

"What do you mean?"

"Monarchs are nothing but petty, power-hungry sociopaths who will do anything for a shot at another's territory."

"Don't take it to heart, Artemis." I consoled her. "Leon's had his fill of power-plays in the houses of royalty to last him until oblivion."

"What?"

"Before you were created, I was employed by Jackson Smith, former King of Virginia, to root out the traitors in his court. It was his steward of the past four-hundred years, Annabelle. She had been plotting his demise after he executed her maker, she recruited an insane French vampire named Jacqueline in her quest for revenge.

"Annabelle thought she had swayed me to her cause, and in a way she had. I was hired by the woman the Queen ran off to meet to kill Jackson, and I did. Only after he killed Annabelle and her scapegoat, a vampire named Mira. Leon was with me for most of the maneuvering, living the life of an assassin with none of the ability. You're a wonderful killer, my Love-" I touched his face. "But you're no executioner." He laughed and pushed my hand away.

"That's right, you killed the King..."

"I did."

"How did you do that?"

"He trusted me; from there it was just a matter of playing one against the other."

"Isn't that dangerous? What if you were found out?"

"I'd have been killed, Leon as well." He was at my side, reliving the distress of those days. I pulled him to me and kissed the side of his head.

"How do you kill a King?"

"The same way you kill anyone else." My Love said in his most morbid of tones.

* * *

Our meal with the Queen was over, and much less painful than I anticipated. She had an excellent collection of blood. I'd never tasted blood so delicious, so pure; faerie blood excluded. Artemis was positively enamored with our Queen, ignorance of youth I suppose. In time she would see Serana Torllona as nothing but a vampire wearing an undeserved crown.

Ondre was out, flexing his muscles about the area as a Sheriff should, leaving Artemis and I alone in our house. It was nearing eleven as she and I were in my room, arranging the massive pieces of furniture that had just been delivered.

"What about this one?" Artemis pointed to the large slab of stone that would serve as the coffee table.

"It's going in the center of the sofa."

"Well, where is that going?" She asked.

"I'm thinking the center of the room. What about you?" I leaned back against the slabs of wood that made up the frame of the sectional-sofa.

"Hmm-" She scrunched up her face and looked around the room. "Yeah, I think that'll work just fine." A knock at our door interrupted our decorating. "Who is that?"

"I don't know. Here," I lifted one of the short, heavy chunks of wood and held it out for Artemis. "Come on, take it." She grabbed it, surprised at how easily she could lift it. "Start laying them out, I'll be right back."

"Alright." She said and walked it to the center of the room, laying it down with apprehension. I exited the room and began for the door; another knock, this one more furious and brutal than the last and I bolted for the door.

"Who is it?" I called.

"Where's the Sheriff?"

"He's out, who wants to know?"

"I do. Open the goddamn door." Artemis was by my side, storming down the stairs from the commotion brewing outside our door.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" To the side of the door was a screen that revealed the man beyond the relative safety of our walls.

"It's Nikolas, his brother."

"Brother? Ondre has a brother?"

"I don't care who you say you are, you're not getting in."

"I'll break this fucking door down, I swear it! Let me in!" There was a thump outside the walls and I heard Ondre's voice. He must have been close, or perhaps the computer in his pocket was linked to the security system to the house in some way I didn't know of.

"It's alright, Leon, open the door." I did as he asked, seeing Nikolas pinned to the floor, Ondre holding him down. "Apologize. Now!" He shook him, forcing his face against the hard stone-work porch.

"I'm sorry! Let me up, Ondre!"

"No." He stood, but held the vampire's arms behind his back. Ondre was significantly taller and wider than this immortal, and much, much more attractive. His clothes were torn and bloodied. "Leon, fetch a pair of gloves and the silver out of my pocket, we need to restrain him."

"What?! Is that how you treat your brother?! Fucking silver?!"

"That's exactly how I'll treat you. Go on, now." He nodded at me and without a second thought I followed his order; flying up the stairs, throwing on a pair of leather gloves and appearing behind him in the same second, fetching the silver handcuffs from his pocket and restraining the vampire. He fell to the floor as it touched his flesh and smoke rose in circular wisps as I locked them around his wrist.

"Whoa-"

"Don't touch it." I touched Artemis' shoulder, moving her away from the helpless vampire. Ondre dropped him to the floor and was in front of me, his hands on the sides of my face.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, he didn't even get in."

"Smart." He bent over and dragged Nikolas into the den through the doorway to the left, slinging him across the hardwood-floor.

"Damnit! Ondre!"

"Shut your mouth!" He shouted. "Stay away from him, my Love. You too, Artemis. He's not to be trusted."

"You're a fucking assassin! And I'm untrustworthy?" Ondre was on top of him before another word could be said. He pulled on his hair, jerking his head back.

"I'll rip your head off if you speak again! You know I can." Ondre's fangs were drawn, a fury on his face I'd not seen since he tackled Annabelle to the side of the limousine before delivering her to her death. He shook him off and walked back to me.

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Well, I need to find out why he's here, and why he's adamant on meeting with me."

"Isn't it obvious? He's killed someone." Artemis said.

"Huh-" Ondre said, looking over her. "Is that true, brother? Who have you killed tonight?"

"Take this silver off, and I'll tell you."

"Not a chance." Now we were all standing around him. He shouted something in a language I didn't understand; Ondre's eyes narrowed and laid his foot down on his hands, digging the silver in deeper.

"AGH!" His fangs exposed he shouted again. "Some vampire!" Ondre refused, and stomped the toe of his boot into his brother's flesh.

"Why?"

"Does it matter?!"

"Yes-" He drew the syllables out with the cadence he dug the silver into the immortal's flesh. "It does."

"GAH! FUCK YOU ONDRE!"

"I'm flattered, but no."

"Ugh! He tried to stop me-"

"From what?" I could see the bones in his wrist, they blackening and cracked as the metal vaporized their cells.

"I was feeding-" Blood was falling from his eyes in pain, Artemis watched in horror, even diverting her eyes.

"Come with me, Artemis. That's enough carnage for you."

"Stepping out?" Ondre asked.

"Yes. Call me?"

"Of course, my Love." He stepped on the vampire beneath him and laid a kiss on my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you." I touched his arm and stole another look at the undead man under him. With that my child and I took off looking for an escape from the brutality that continued in our home.


	33. An Irrevocable Response

Artemis and I were seated at the best table in Cicero's. It was a private booth with enough seats to fit our little family, the Queen, and a handful of her brood. Mirabella sat us, and took our drink orders. Artemis requested a mixture of True Bloods; I abstained, my mind on Ondre alone with his murderous brother.

"So Ondre has a brother?"

"And a sister, as far as I know."

"Wow. That's nice they kept the family together like that."

"What?"

"His brother and sister."

"What do you mean?"

"It's cool they were together, like, before, and now too." I looked at her for a moment, trying to work all of her words through my head. It was only a moment before I understood what she meant.

"No, it doesn't work that way. If I were to turn another human they would become your sibling."

"Oh-Okay." She looked away, obviously feeling stupid. I touched her hand and pulled her attention towards me.

"It's okay, you don't know these things. I'm here to teach you."

"So, if you turned her-" She pointed to a girl standing at the bar at end of the room. "She'd be my sister?"

"Yes, but don't go getting any ideas. One baby vampire is enough for me, I haven't the slightest idea how the Queen manages all of hers."

"All of those were her children?"

"Every vampire we met the other night, she turned all of them."

"Wow, that's insane."

"Isn't it?" Mirabella appeared with Artemis' drink and a smile on her face.

"Here you are," She laid the drink on table before her and stepped back. "Are you sure there's nothing I can get you? Don't worry about the price, it's on the house."

"No, thank you, Mirabella."

"Alright, if you change your mind I'm never far away. Enjoy." She dipped her head to Artemis and stepped away, closing the doors to our booth as she left. Artemis took a sip from her drink and instantly her face revealed her thoughts on it.

"God, that's terrible."

"It's not that bad." She tasted it again, her face twisting in the familiar way.

"It does have a bite of a bite, doesn't it?"

"A bite?" She made a noise in her glass and took another sip. "It all tastes the same to me."

"The synthetic blood has a bite organic blood doesn't have; a chemical-like aftertaste." Artemis looked at me, then peered in to her glass, she took another drink and this time I held my hand up to her mouth. She held it there for a moment and when I moved away she swallowed, I was honestly amazed she knew how to respond.

"You know what? I think I taste it…"

"Probably. I'm sorry; until your bloodlust has subsided you're not to hunt without a guardian."

"How long does that take?" She downed what was left of the drink and sat it on the mirrored tabletop.

"A decade. Perhaps less with a of bit willpower."

"Hmm-" She stared at the empty glass, her eyes narrowing in on streaks of blood running down the crystal. "I'll be back." She grabbed the chalice and stepped out of the booth, going after another, closing the door behind her.

I sighed and sank down in the cushion feeling ever more isolated the longer I sat there. That is until the phone in my jacket pocket sounded off. It was Ondre, I answered it without hesitation.

"Hello, Love." His gruff voice instantly snapped me from the darkness of my thoughts.

"Bonsoir."

"I do love when you speak French to me."

"C'est vrai? Tu aimes mon Francais?" _Is that so? You like my French?_ I asked.

"Ouias. J'aime quand tu parles Francais avec moi." _Yeah. I love when you speak French with me._ I laughed at his accent; it was husky and burly, just like him, just how I loved to hear it.

"Bien, tres bien, mon Amour." _Good, very good, my Love._ "So, what happened with your brother?" Ondre exhaled, and in the sound I could hear him shaking his head. "What, Ondre? Tell me."

"It's nothing, Love. He killed a human who belonged to a vampire in the area. He attacked Nikolas and Nikolas killed him."

"So, he came to you hoping you'd let him off?"

"Seemingly."

"How did he know you're Sheriff?"

"He must have been here longer than he let on, that's all I can gather."

"What'd you do with him?"

"Nothing yet, he's lying in the floor of the den, awaiting a decision."

"Who's decision?"

"Mine."

"You didn't call the Queen?"

"No, I doubt she'd even care. If anything, she'd see it as an annoyance, and more than likely see me as incompetent." He was right. He was Sheriff; this fell under his jurisdiction, and would be until the media got involved. To involve the Queen would raise a major red flag in her opinion of Ondre's ability.

"What are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do." Ondre was sworn to protect the vampires of Area 41, and the humans who find themselves at the mercy of an immortal. Nikolas killed citizens of his area, beings under his protection, the only punishment was death; the true death.

"Are you-"

"I must." His voice was heavy, and he fell silent.

"Are you going to be able to-?"

"I'll do what I must, my Love."

"Do you want me home, with you?" There was a wistful silence, and I knew his answer before he could speak it.

"Could you?"

"I'll be right there."

"I love you, Leon."

"I love you." With that the phone went silent and I stood to leave. I caught Mirabella near the bar and pulled her aside. "Mirabella," I took her arm.

"Yes?" She smiled and ducked her head in close. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine, but I have to go. Could you send Artemis home once she's finished? I don't want to interrupt her good time." She was at the bar, a drink in her hand, a beautiful human female at her side. They laughed and talked, it was the first time I'd seen her interact with someone who wasn't Ondre or me, and I couldn't pull her away.

"Of course, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thank you." I touched her hand, and after a brief exchange we parted and I took my leave.

* * *

Ondre had yet to pull the trigger on his brother. The look on his face was, for all intents and purposes, indiscernible. At least it would appear that way to a stranger; I could see every line of misery around his lips, and the glimmers of sorrow in his eyes. He was outside on the porch, leaning against one of the massive ionic columns. He looked up at me, his hands in the pockets of his pants; the definition of silent suffering.

"Hello." His voice was solemn and slow.

"Hello." I stepped up to him, nearly four feet away. I couldn't think of anything to say and doubted anything could be said.

"He's in there-" He said vacantly. "I can't-I killed a goddamn king! And I can't bring myself to kill him..."

"He's your brother."

"He is nothing to me!" He shouted, biting at his lip, and then turning away. "I can't let him go. He killed a vampire in my area, one of my charges...I can't let him go." I saw a tear fall from his chin and strike the stone floor under us. "I can't kill him either-" This was the first time I'd ever seen him torn like this. Killing was in his nature before he was turned; he'd been doing it, and doing it well, for centuries. He was so good at it he'd been hired to replace a monarch, which he did with no remorse.

I knew little of the history between Ondre and Nikolas, only that he had been created nearly two-hundred years after Ondre, and that Nikolas was exponentially more fiendish than my barbarian. In his fury he had ended the lives of more humans than Ondre and I ever accomplished. He would keep mementos of his favorite kills; the femur of a newborn baby, the wedding bands of an elderly couple he mutilated and tortured for days, a tooth from the mouth of a princess he devoured centuries ago.

It was his younger brother's total disregard for human life which drove Ondre's maker, the ancient Zuriel, into oblivion. Ondre has held an unspeakable amount of animosity towards his brother over this, and I'm sure the thought of ending Nikolas' life was one he'd entertained on several occasions. The opportunity had presented itself; he could take his brother's life. It would be within the loose laws of our kind to do so, and no charges would be brought against him.

Yet, as much as he liked the world to think otherwise, Ondre had a heart. He loved, he suffered. He felt something for his brother, something I could not understand. Had I any relationship with a sibling I like to believe I could sympathize with him but my maker was a horrible creature, abandoning me within my first year; I would never know my brothers and sisters. Perhaps it was best that way.

"If you let him go, what would happen?"

"I'd lose my position, be marked a traitor to my area, end up with my head on the executioner's block."

"And if I let him go?" At this he turned around, a tear running down the side of his face.

"Are you stupid? Do you think I'd let you do that?"

"Don't let me. Go. Leave. Come back in an hour."

"Leon! I'm not letting you do that!"

"There's no other choice, Ondre. Give me your wallet."

"What?"

"He'll need money to get out of the country." His face was locked in a state of bewilderment. "If he leaves tonight, before anyone catches wind of this, he gets to live; you don't have to kill him."

"What of the liquefied immortal? And the corpse? Someone will find them; sooner or later their deaths will come to light."

"We deal with that when it comes to that. You're Sheriff; it'll come to you first. Make like you're looking for the killer, and bury the case once it goes cold." Ondre looked at me, his eyes squinted and he stood silent for a time.

"You're an idiot. This is single-handedly the most reckless thing you've ever done."

"It's genius and you know it."

"No, it's ridiculous."

"I don't know what else to say Ondre! Kill him or let him go, but you have to act." Ondre sighed and turned away, pulling a pair of latex gloves from his pocket.

"Leave, you're taking no part in this."

"No. If you're guilty, I'm guilty."

"You're an idiot."

"I am not, and I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from calling me one." He shook his head while pulling the lavender gloves over his wrist. He pulled his wallet out from his back pocket and removed a stack of one-hundred dollar bills from it, then stashed it away.

"Thank you, Leon." He pulled me to his body, his arms around my neck. "Thank you for ruining your life with me."

"I'd have it no other way, my Love."

* * *

~Ondre

I removed the cuffs from his wrist and pulled him from the floor, holding him by the scruff of his neck. Leon gave him a bottle of True Blood, he drank it down swiftly and handed my Love the bottle. I shoved the money in his hand and threw him out into the night.

"What's this?"

"It's your second chance. Get the fuck out the country and I won't have to kill you." Leon barked his voice strong and authoritative.

"I'd like to se-" This pitiful insect! I ripped him from the porch and flipped him through the air, pinning him against the floor, my hand clenched around his worthless hide.

"Leave! NOW! You disgusting waste of blood." I roared and threw him on to the pavement. "GO!" Leon grabbed my arm and pulled me away, my brother rolled on the moistened driveway and spat out a tooth; his blood streaked my boot. He groaned and coughed a crimson puddle up, Leon held his hand on my chest and I turned away; he grabbed my hand and nuzzled against me.

Nikolas groaned and crawled to his feet, after another of his noises he ran off.

"We just dug our own graves..."

"No, we saved a life." Leon said with a kind of satisfaction I knew came from his belief in the reasons behind his actions, not the one affected by them.

"A life that wasn't worth saving!"

"Ondre-" He put his hands on my face, pulling me from the rage brewing within. "It never happened. You were out, Artemis and I went to Cicero's. I came home to find you waiting for me. All of this is true; nothing I just said was a lie." My Leon; my brave, courageous Leon had spared me the pain of ending my brother's life. He was a warrior if I'd ever seen one, he was a fighter; he was my savior just as I was his.

"I love you." I pulled him close, and held him tight.

"I love you, Ondre. I'd do anything for you." I couldn't put to words the gratitude and fear I felt inside, but they were quickly replaced by the overwhelming sense of loyalty and devotion that came pouring from the man whom I held in my arms.

* * *

What Ondre and I had done was illegal, and could easily result in our deaths, but I'd gladly sacrifice myself to keep him from heartache. Perhaps that made me a fool, no, that certainly made me a fool. A fool in love, as the cliché goes.

Ondre and I were in the den; the room had just recently been vacated of its temporary occupant. It was quiet room, with the same high ceiling and neutral walls as the rest of the home. It was classically elegant with its sweeping lines and rich, bright fabrics. I sat to my barbarian's side, my head resting on his breast, my hands in his; we were silent, enjoying the feeling of solidarity.

I heard Artemis on the porch, her feet quick and spry she bounded into the house, shutting the door behind her. There was a smile on her face, one I had yet to see; she was overjoyed, glittering brightly with excitement, a twinkle in her pale, grey eyes.

"Someone had a good night." Ondre said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah...I guess."

"What's her name?" I asked, seeing her quickly look away, embarrassed. "Tell me! I saw you with her, there's no use hiding it." She flicked her eyes up and gripped her clutch with both hands.

"Her name is Christina."

"Christina, lovely name." Ondre squeezed my shoulder and bumped me with his foot; playful and excited for my daughter.

"She's alright, I guess." She smiled, and rolled her eyes. "Shut up! She covered her face and began up the stairs.

"No fucking in my house!" Ondre called after her. "Only we get to do that." He kissed the corner of my hairline over my eye and moved his hand to my head, his fingers mindlessly massaging my scalp.

"Should we tell her about tonight?"

"About what?" Ondre said, his thumb inched upward behind my ear.

"Nothing." I shook him off and turned my head to face him. He stared into my eyes, his beautiful green orbs glowing in the dim glow of the sturdy iron chandelier above us. It was a stare of gratitude, of compassion and devotion, but there was fear and apprehension behind them. He was quiet, allowing an uneasy, frightful silence to wrap around us.

"Don't worry so much." I said to him, hoping it would resonate within my own psyche. He raised an eyebrow and turned his head to the side.

"There are a few hours until dawn, something you'd like to do?"

"Yes, actually."

"What would that be?"

"To finish putting our sofa together." He laughed at me, given the self-centered nature of our egregious actions an hour prior it was funny. My barbarian leaned in and kissed me through his chuckle, a giggle slipped out between our pecks.

"I love you, Leon." Warmth bloomed in my chest and burst through my arms, running down my legs to my toes and up to my eyes.

"I love you."

"Thank you-" He whispered in my ear. I said nothing in return, only took his hand and led him up the stairs to our bedroom.

* * *

A week passed and I hardly saw Ondre. When he wasn't out keeping the peace in Area 41, the Queen held him at her confiscated mansion. He'd return late in the morning, some days minutes before dawn, drained and exhausted. It'd be a lie to say I doubted the Queen's knowledge of our actions, but Ondre said nothing of the sort; it kept my fears subdued.

Our bedroom was finally coming together, Artemis' as well. Her tastes differed from mine; she preferred her furniture modern with gothic elements and '_a touch of madness_', she said. I liked to keep things natural; rich woods and neutral stone-work. She and I would spend the lonely nights lying on my bed flipping through the extensive digital catalogue Olivia prepared before her departure. Only now when we found something worthy of Ondre's money, I paid with my credit card.

I found myself thankful of the Queen's test of loyalty. Without her, I'd have never found Artemis who had become my best friend. She was a kind soul, her human heart undamaged in her transformation; with a caustic comedic streak, having had me doubled over with laughter on more than one occasion.

As a human, she was a student of the arts, attending one of the premier art schools in New York. Her passion was writing, I'd yet to see samples but it was good enough to grant her a full scholarship, and I waited for the day when she'd begin to write again. She favored poetry, but had a particular disdain for rhyming, something she and I shared. While certainly more difficult to accomplish, I always found it vapid and immature.

After her studies she settled down in the city where she was able to scrape together a meager existence working as a server at a popular restaurant. Her family had money, nothing like the kind Ondre possessed, but they did well. Sadly they all but disowned her after she revealed her sexual orientation to them; this too was something we shared. She had friends, a wonderful group of men and women who loved her, and were loved by her.

To hear her speak of them it was obvious they were her family, and she missed them dreadfully. She cried in my arms one night, tears of joy and pain and sorrow all in one aching, strangled cry. She would never see them again, and once again she surprised me at her strength and understanding. She accepted this fact; it was a truth all of us struggle with during our infancy. It would be years before she could fully come to grips with it, but for now she understood my reasoning.

We serve no purpose in the lives of mortals; a relationship between the two species would bring heartache to both. I shared with her my experience with Tungsten, and she too found his name incredibly laughable.

"He was a flower-child, what else would you expect?" I told her.

"He was a hippie? Were you a hippie?"

"I don't think I've ever been anything but a-hippie? Is that what you said?"

"Yeah, that's what we call them now."

"I suppose I was. Love, peace, acceptance, understanding; all things I've tried to live by."

"A vampire-hippie, that's a first." She delivered her humor with a straight face, making all the more comical.

"My days with Tungsten came after Ondre left me. I suppose our murderous ways led me to a life of peace. In the years I spent alone I developed a way of feeding without killing, the way I'm teaching you. I will not kill without reason, only those who deserve death shall receive it."

"Deserve it-?"

"Your killer, Artemis. Did you think he'd survived that firebomb we left?" She was quiet, her face tight with grief. There was nothing I could say to change her fate, instead I went with my gut and changed the topic.

"So, when do I meet Christina?" Her eyes perked up, had she a beating heart I'm sure her cheeks would have flushed pink with infatuation.

"Whenever you want, I guess."  
"Do you like her?" She had been out with her three times this week, alone. Something, at first, I had several reservations about. But they kept their meetings to Cicero's, and so far nothing worthy of note had happened.

"She's really sweet, and so funny. I can't stop laughing when I'm with her...But-" It seemed she would say no more, but I knew her fears. Christina was human, and Artemis a blood-crazed newborn vampire.

"You're scared you'll hurt her?" She turned her head, her eyes looking up under her bangs. "If you'd like, I could accompany you on your next date."

"No. Just-No." She laughed; I couldn't resist and joined her.

"Willpower. I have faith in you. If you ever feel you may lose control with her, the best thing to do is run. Run far and run fast, then return when you've regained control over yourself."

"Does that actually work?"

"It does, if you have the strength to do it."

"Okay, so what if we get together...What happens when she starts aging?"

"Well, that happens to mortals. It's a part of their life cycle."

"Could I turn her?"

"Has she asked you?" Many mortals seek out vampires in the hopes to retain their youth. Since the Great Revelation it had become a serious problem, and I would not allow Artemis become a tool in the ambitions of a destitute mortal.

"No. She doesn't seem like that kind of person. She's asked me about life as a vampire, but she enjoys her humanity."

"Have you glamoured her? Found out the truth?"

"No, I would never do that! That's just wrong. I couldn't do that."

"Alright. I understand, but I'm not saying this to attack the girl's character. For all you know, she could view you as ticket to immortality."

"She's not like that!" The emotion in her voice told me believed this to her core, and that her heart had begun to yearn for Christina.

"Okay," I touched her hand. "I'm not saying she is."

"Then stop. She's a good person. She volunteers at the soup kitchen every week, she reads to the kids at the orphanage. She's a good person, Leon. I know she is."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty-three."

"What else do you know about her?"

"She's local, born and raised here. She's got a younger brother, and an older sister. Her parents are still together, they've been married for thirty years. Isn't that insane? Thirty years!"

"I was with Ondre for thirty-four years before he ran out."

"Why exactly did he leave you?" This was a topic that pained me to this day, but I would tell my daughter the truth

"He couldn't make peace with the monster he molded me into. We were as murderous as any vampire before us; we killed whole families, made love on their bloodied beds...It was fun, as horrendous of a thing to admit, it was. We could have gone on like that until eternity, but Ondre couldn't take it. He loved me too much to watch the carnage I had taken so much delight in causing."

"So he left you?"

"Cruel, I know. But it was blessing in disguise. On my own, I found peace; I couldn't bring myself to take another life, not an innocent life. We have both undergone changes that allow us to live together without the torrid appeal of bloodshed. In my opinion, we're better than we ever were. I think about being with him, not killing with him. I kiss him and I taste him, not the blood of a man we slaughtered."

"Do you miss him? Like now, when he's gone?"

"Terribly."

"You love him, don't you?"

"Just now seeing that?" She chuckled and smiled with me.

"He loves you. I don't think one person can love another more than he loves you. I want that..."

"You'll find it; you have eternity to find love."

"Let's hope it doesn't take that long."

"It won't." Ondre called from the doorway. "Miss me?" He asked.

"Always." I patted the bed beside me. With a lazy smile he made for us and climbed on, sitting down at my side. He leaned over and kissed my lips; his rich, earthy scent filling my lungs. I touched his leg and laid my head over his thigh, His long, nimble fingers etching undeterminable symbols affectionately on my back.

"Where did you go tonight?" I asked.

"The Queen wanted a meeting; apparently a vampire has gone missing."

"Missing?" Artemis' voice spiked with surprise.

"Drainers?"

"It would appear as so."

"What happened?"

"He disappeared around a bar downtown."

"Any sign?"

"None."

"None?!" I shouted; exclamation more than inquiry.

"Nothing concrete."

"Did you check the bar?"

"Of course I did." He playfully pulled at strands of my hair. "They were tight-lipped, not exactly the talkative type."

"What are you going to do?" Artemis asked slowly.

"Tomorrow night I'm going back and I'm not going alone, nor am I asking anyone anything."

"You're going back? Who are you taking?"

"I hadn't given it much thought…I wonder what Mirabella is doing tomorrow?" He looked off, his smile taking a sweet, but mocking twist. I struck the meat of his leg with my elbow and climbed off of him. "Oh, would you like to join me?"

"Not any longer." He flipped me over on the bed and restrained my wrists above my head.

"Liar." I grunted and pushed against him; Artemis made one of her awkward, choking sounds and fell backwards off the bed. I watched her fall, shuffling away from Ondre and I her limbs betrayed her and she tumbled to the floor; I watched her, but could not see her for my captivating barbarian.

"Ass."

"I'm an ass, but you're a liar."

"Sounds about right." I groaned and squinted at him, his deceptively innocent smile began chipping away at my frustrations instantly.

"Don't be so serious. I'd love to drag you about."

"You've been doing it this long, why stop now?"

"That's the spirit." He exhaled gruffly and touched his nose to mine, then kissed me and released my arms. I giggled and squirmed beneath him, touching the base of his ribcage and started creeping higher. Behind my barbarian I saw Artemis pull herself up from the floor and shake her head at us.

"Oh, Artemis! That's right, you fell!" Ondre laughed at my outburst. "Are you alright?" I pushed myself up and looked at her over Ondre's stonewall-shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't hurt yourself." I laughed in spite of myself and she stood, then walked around the bed and continued on for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Ugh, to my room. I thought you'd like to be alone..." She stopped and grabbed at her arm, eyes on the floor.

"If you want to, I won't keep you but you're welcome to stay, Artemis."

"Thank you, but I'm alright."

"No, stay, you should see the face he makes when he—" Ondre began, a devilish smile in his eyes.

"OHMYGODNOTHANKYOU!" Artemis shouted and burst out of the room, the door shutting softly after her. Ondre and I laughed and fell into the bed, he chuckled and rolled off of me, propping himself up on his arm.

"You two are getting close."

"We are." I rolled over to face him, pulling at the button on his shirt. "It's nice; she's incredibly genuine, so innocent."

"She's good to you. She's been with you when I could not; for that I am thankful. I'm sorry I've been gone, my Love."

"There's no need." I had three of the buttons un-latched when I said this. I touched his pale but furry chest with my fingertips and shuffled in the bed to be closer to him. I sighed, contented, and kissed the little patch of flesh I exposed. "You have been missed, though, mon Amour."

"I've missed you." He sat his hand on my back, fingers snaking over my shirt. "Our bedroom is beautiful." The way he said the words inspired my heart in a way I cannot accurately describe.

"Thank you; it's amazing what money can buy." I said with another sigh.

"It is, isn't it?" Ondre smiled and looked up to the ceiling where my incredible, over-sized crystal chandelier hung. The grindstone-coffee table was beneath it with the wooden sectional encircled around it, it's cushions were over-stuffed and wrapped in fabric patterned after striated amber. The walls which were once barren supported over a dozen works of art; some were traditional, paintings of forests, mountainsides, and streams. Among the art I had placed large slabs of natural wood and weathered metal, copper and cherry, oak and aluminum, they were absolutely unorthodox and I loved them all. Our cylindrical end tables had been placed on either side of our bed; a snakeskin vase adorned my side, a gleaming metallic elephant gracing Ondre's.

"This is nice." He leaned over and grabbed the elephant. It was something I found on a trip out with Artemis. "Where'd you get it?"

"Some pretentious outlet on the strip."

"The strip?"

"That's what they're calling the collection of vampire-friendly shops in the city." Ondre chuckled and laid it back where he found it. "Have you ever seen one?"

"One what?"

"An elephant?"

"Well, I've seen them in zoos."

"What a shame, they're magnificent creatures. You know our fangs aren't long enough to puncture their skin?"

"Really? You know this from experience?"

"I do. Cheetahs are fun to chase, but gorillas are a real treat."

"Gorilla…Cheetah? You ate a cheetah?"

"I did. A few lions as well."

"When did you do this?"

"Centuries ago, during my time in Africa with Zuriel."

"Oh, animals? Were they satisfying?"

"I suppose as satisfying as a bottle of True Blood." He looked down at me with a smug smile on his face; I buried my face in his chest.

"Whatever."

"Whatever?"

"Something I picked up from Artemis." Ondre repeated it, laughing with me. "Whatever." I said again. He blew a breath threw my hair and kissed the top of my head, his arm sliding under mine and resting across my back.

"You know what I want to do?"

"I can guess."

"Oh, yeah?" I pushed him over and climbed on top of him, dropping my bottom on his hips and alluringly whispering in his ear before jumping off the bed and walking into the bathroom. He followed behind me, clothes hitting the floor.

* * *

Dawn had come. It was nearly three hours into the day, yet Ondre and I lay in the warm water of our bath, unable to pull ourselves away from the intimacy of our blistering affections. We finished our entanglement only a short time ago; I lay against his chest, my head resting over his breast. His hand held mine while the other settled on my thigh.

"I love you." He whispered, his lips dancing over my ear.

"I love you." I drew a breath, catching the scent of fresh blood. "You're bleeding."

"So are you." I felt his hand move from my groin and touch my ear. He flashed the runny, crimson bile in front of my eyes before dropping it into the water where it dispersed and added to the wisps of blood snaking about my legs. I sighed and relaxed into him.

"We should get to bed."

"I don't want to."

"I don't either." He agreed. His lips touched the side of my face, his hand coming to rest on my waist.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked.

"In reference to what?"

"The missing immortal."

"I've begun to formulate one, yes. Why do you ask?"

"I've got one too."

"Oh," His voice peaking with intrigue. "What might that be?"

"Isn't it obvious? You take me to the bar the vampire was taken outside of and I make a show of my immortality-"

"No."

"Ondre-"

"No."

"Ondre! Let me finish." His fingers dug into my flesh, not out of anger but fear. "If anyone takes the bait, you'll be there to stop them from taking me. We'll have the transgressor, and I'll be safe; no more than a silver burn or two."

"Have you finished?"

"Yes."

"No." I spun around in the tub, sending water splashing onto the marble. "When will you start taking me seriously? Haven't I proved myself to you?" I saw his face sink, his eyes widened and he leaned forward.

"I will not risk you like that."

"It's not a risk; you'll be there to protect me."

"And if I am silvered? What then?"

"How would you be silvered? Stay hidden until they strike, then you attack."

"No, Leon." In that moment I was overcome by a rage and frustration I couldn't control and I shot up from the basin in fury.

"Liar! You told me I could go, I am going! Don't do this to me Ondre!"

"Leon, calm down."

"No! I am your partner, I am your lover, and I deserve your respect!"

"I do respect you, Leon."

"Ondre…" I pleaded.

"I'm trying to keep you from getting killed, Leon."

"And you've done a fine job of it, how is taking me to a bar of humans more dangerous than taking me to an assassination!"

"I don't care what you say, you're not coming!" He was my elder, but not my superior. I loved him more than I could ever put into words, but to constantly be reminded that I was less than him was more than I could bare to keep quiet.

"Yes, I am. I refuse to let you go alone."

"I'm not going alone-"

"No, you're not, you're taking me."

"Leon!" He shouted and climbed from the tub. "I am not putting you in danger like that."

"I won't be in any danger! Ondre, you'll be there with me."

"No! That's final!" He sliced the air with a swift chop of his hand and lunged with his declaration of finality. I started to move, shout or scream, something, but Ondre shot across the room and tackled me to the floor, pinning me immobile.

"Let me up! Get off of me!"

"Not until you calm down." I struggled against him but it was no use. He was exponentially stronger than me; no amount of exertion would allow me to prevail over him. It was all too much and I felt the tears begin to flow from my eyes. "Leon, please-" He let go of me, and without anywhere else to go, I pulled my arms to my chest and turned away from him.

"Leon, please, look at me." He touched the side of my face and murmured again. "Leon, my Love, look at me." With shame and blood flooding my eyes I turned my head and looked up at him. I expected to see a face full of anger and annoyance; instead I saw pained eyes, bleeding just as mine.

"I cannot lose you, Leon. You are my world, my universe. My life means nothing without you."

"You won't lose me, Ondre."

"It's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"It's not your decision, Ondre." He was silent; his response. He laid his head on my chest and shut his eyes.

The silence lingered for a time, how long exactly I'm not sure of. After a while he pulled me into his arms and laid me down on the bed, coming in behind me and putting an arm across my stomach.

"We do this my way, Leon. You have to promise me you'll do what I say, when I say it." He grabbed for my hand squeezed it, burying his face in the nape of my neck. "Promise me, or you don't come."

"I promise."


	34. Opulence is the End

Ondre finally relented and allowed me to accompany him to the bar of the vampire drainers. He would enter the front doors and cause enough of a situation to draw their attention and I would slip in the back. He was scared, I was scared; both afraid for the safety of the other. We informed Artemis of our plan and left her in Mirabella's capable hands, she had arranged a date with her friend, Christina.

Things between the two of them had gotten serious; it was lovely seeing my daughter so happy with her life. I watched her as she spoke with the human girl on the phone. Christina had a wonderful speaking voice, and Artemis' face exploded with joy upon hearing it.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, you!" Christina answered her. "What's up?"  
"Nothing, what about you? What are you doing?"

"Nothing really, wasting my life on the internet. You know." Her voice was kind and sweet, a touch deeper than most women yet undeniably feminine and soft. Artemis giggled and looked over her shoulder to my smiling, but prying eyes and stood. Tucking the phone closer to her face she began for the doorway out of the library. It was futile; I could hear her still but chose not to listen. She arranged a date and hurried to dress. I did the same, reaching the closet I could see Ondre rifling through my clothes. I chuckled and moved to kneel beside him.

"Need some help?" I asked, reaching over, laying my hand on his broad arm. His body tensed as I touched him; instinctively I rolled my hand over his flesh and pawed at the underside of his forearm. He relaxed slightly and I laid my other hand in the crease of his elbow, he rested his head on mine and sighed.

"Is there anything I can say to make you stay?"  
"No." He winced at my answer and shook his head.

"Please…" My barbarian begged me. Nothing could be done to change my mind; if Ondre was going, I was going.

"Ondre, don't force me to deny you again." I kissed the body of his round, toned bicep and touched my cheek to it.

"We need to dress." He said solemnly. "Here, you never know…" He handed me a pair of thick, black leather gloves and shook himself free of me, leaving the room. I hit the floor feeling my heart fracture from his rejection. I gasped and dejectedly clutched the gloves to my chest.

* * *

~Ondre

I could not dissuade Leon from accompanying me. He was headstrong, a trait in his infancy I nurtured and tended with great care. As he's said before, whatever he was, I made him. At least he came prepared. The gloves I gave him served one purpose; they would allow him to remove silver from my flesh without burning.

After escorting Artemis to Cicero's he and I took to the roads racing at immortal speeds. I felt a distance between us; most certainly caused by my actions in the closet floor. He knew how I felt regarding his assistance on my current endeavor, there was no need for me hurt him so. I'm convinced it hurt him deeply, but he suffered no less than I; he deserved better.

Once we arrived at the bar Leon and I stalked through the tree line surrounding the parking lot, scanning the premises for doors; exits, entrances, escape routes. Aside from the front door there was one on the side and another that lead to the underground level of the bar. That was where our missing vampire had been taken, I was sure of it. I could smell the immortal; gallons of his blood were beyond these walls. If he survived still, he would be little more than a loose collection of flesh and bone.

"Stay here, wait for my signal." I whispered to Leon and went to leave for the bar. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the thicket.

"Ondre…I love you." He cooed and nuzzled his face against my chest. "I love you." His sudden outburst of emotion following my disgraceful, painful actions was surprising yet not unlike my Leon.

"Leon," I began, "my Leon." I put my arms around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. "I am so very sorry." I took a deep breath of the scent of his hair and touched him with my cheek. "You deserve so much better."

"Stop that. I won't have it, Ondre." He said sharply into my sternum. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you." He sighed and scrubbed his forehead against my shirt.

"Come back to me." Leon said with one final kiss and let me go. I held on to his fingers and reluctantly parted, walking for the doors of the bar.

* * *

I watched my barbarian leave the relative safety of my side and trod into the den of vermin. He stood before the door for a moment and blew them open with a flick of his wrists; his ancient strength slinging them into the supporting wall. The inside which was loud and obnoxious only a moment earlier was now quiet and still, the only sounds were the beating of human hearts and the aggressive rock music which was abruptly stopped.

"No, no, gentlemen. Don't stop the show for me…" He said with a growl and stepped into the bar, the doors shutting behind him in a peculiar, otherworldly manner. Watching as he was cut off from me instantly knotted my stomach, my throat clenched and I swept around to the side of the building. There was no window to peek in an assess his situation, instead of focus on Ondre, I dove directly into the assignment he had given me.

With luck, we had caught this nest of filth by surprise. Ondre would serve to distract them while I searched the underground level. We needed evidence for a conviction; while it would be much, much simpler to kill them all and be done with it, in the age of the 'mainstreaming' vampire it is easier to forget our ability for destruction when it was kept in the dark.

Along the concrete wall that housed the stairs to the bar's lower level blood had been splattered. This was not the first time I'd seen this spray pattern, it was the result of human decapitation. Long, thick streams of rust stains surrounded by droplets propelled into the air by panicked heart in the last moments of its existence. The door to the basement was crusted with dried blood, vampire blood. I could see the tiny crystalline structures along the grooves in the metal, as if it had once been covered in the liquid and wiped clean by hurried hands.

My hands were protected in the gloves Ondre had given me before our departure and feeling ever more uneasy, I grabbed the handle of the door, twisted it once and pulled the entire locking mechanism from the wall.

"Hmm—" While not exactly what I wanted to accomplish, I gained entry and laid the hunk of metal on the ground as silently as possible. The door wiggled open and on its breath I could smell silver and the undead flesh it melted and burnt. There were several humans down here with me; three, to be exact. One was an older man with a tendency to groan and grunt as he extracted the blood from one of my brethren. Another fumbled with a series of glass vials, they shook together as he moved them about, the last was quiet and drew short, hasty breaths from a cigarette.

I crept past the door and hunched down in a corner in the back, through a sheet of plastic hanging to separate the rooms I saw them. The eldest, the loudest of the three, stood at the head a dirty, steel gurney, the vampire down below him. The man moving vials was obviously the youngest and smallest of the three; he set the box of blood down on a counter and turned around.

"He ain't got much left…Look." He plucked one of the vials from the styrofoam and shook it. The blood was thin and weak, this vampire was close to exsanguination.

"He'll make it another night yet. Hold open his mouth." The eldest said in a determined, authoritative tone. The youngest man, the man he was obviously talking to shook his head and stepped back.

"I ain't goin' near 'at fucker!" The eldest grumbled and looked over to the youngest, clearly he feared this human more than any vampire. With a scowl he gathered himself and walked to the restrained immortal. He laid his hands on the table first, and then touched the vampire. This stirred him and he hissed, his fangs drawn, his eyes vacant with survivalist hunger. The human jerked his hands away and stood back against the wall.

"He's been silvered, for God's sake! Hold open his mouth before I shove you into it!" The eldest barked at him. The quietest man let out a chuckle as the youngest reached over to the vampire. He touched his shoulders, then his neck and finally the immortal's jaw.

"Awh…Fuck!" He said looking away as the vampire's tongue protruded past his lips and ran across the human's flesh.

"Hold him still." The man in charge held a bag of blood in his hands, turning it upside down, flipping open a cap in the thick plastic. He turned it over again and let the blood pour from the bag into the mouth of the vampire below. It splattered up, hitting the back of his throat he instantly began to swallow. He moved against his restraints in his attempt to feed but the paralyzing silver held all along his body held him in place.

"Here." The commander huffed and handed the now drained bag of blood to the youngest man. "Get rid of this." His assistant jumped away from the vampire and hurried the bag to another part of the room. I watched the leader as he stared at the undead on his table. He would poke and prod at his body here and there, touching a small stick of silver to his flesh and pulling it along his flesh. It scarred him on contact and burnt away his skin. "Ugh…" He groaned watching the torment he was inflicting.

I heard the youngest man begin up a flight of stairs. He opened the door and instantly shouted.

"Whattha! Fuckin' fanger!" This was all the room needed. Immediately the entire bar was alive again, men screamed, tables broke, guns fired. Contemporaneously I flew into action. The quiet man who had been sitting in a recliner was now in three pieces on the floor; his head beneath the gurney, his arm twitching on the concrete beside his body, his blood spraying in a shower that coated the walls and ceiling.

"Godda—" The eldest man saw me beside his dismembered colleague and made a move for something behind him. I saw the gun fly from his hand and I blazed past him, tearing a chunk out of his neck and chest; he was dead before he hit the ground. Without stopping to think I shot up the stairs to the scene of death Ondre created around him. The youngest man from below was still alive, a gun aimed for my barbarian.

His life was snuffed out immediately.

There was a body leaning over the bar with a hole in its chest, his heart and ribs were spread out on the floor behind the cheap liquors. One corpse had been decapitated, propped lifelessly against the imitation-stone wall his blood soaked through his clothes and poured over the body of another man. This one's neck hand been twisted completely and now it hung limp over the headless corpse's knee, eyes floating towards the spirals above him. Bodies littered the floor; headless corpses, twitching limps, spurting fountains of crimson; seeing it reminded me of a time when I was younger, different.

Ondre was in the far corner of the room toying with one of the only survivors. He was standing in front of Ondre, the broken leg of a bar stool in his hands.

"Don't just stand there, strike me!" He taunted the man and grabbed the stake from him. With a sigh he pushed it into the human's chest, slamming his fist into the end it broke through his back and propelled itself deep into the wall behind him. The body hit the ground and I raced to embrace him. The quiet thud of his corpse sounded in my ears as I felt Ondre's hands encircle my waist. I laid my face on his blood-soaked chest and took a deep breath in.

"What a mess." He whispered and clutched the fabric of my coat. "What a mess..."

* * *

Twenty four humans were killed there in the bar that night. Ondre ended twenty one lives in a matter of seconds; honestly, he'd done better before. Neither of us were all too proud of the result of our actions, but this was how it transpired. If we were disappointed, Queen Serana was hysterical, livid, fuming, and every sort of anger in-between. I can't say she was surprised, however; she knew exactly what to expect with Ondre, or she should have.

She arrived within literal minutes of our phone call with her. She blew in to the bar in an outfit that was certainly not planned with the thought that she would be traversing a room full of corpses, blood, and limbs. She rapidly spat several highly stressed sentences in Italian and kicked a leg out of her way. Her kick tore at the corpse's wound and created an arch of blood aimed directly for her eyes. She threw her hands out to her side and formed clawed fists towards the air, growling at looking down as her fangs extended in rage. One of her newborns rushed to her side presenting her a pristine, white towel. She grabbed it and started again in her native tongue. Now she screamed and threw the towel at her servant then shoved him away. Her blood overpowered his instantly and he tumbled backwards.

"Goddamn! Son of a bitch! Ignorant brute!" She shouted and hurried towards us. "Fucking idiots! Do you have any idea what you've done!" She stopped grabbed the heartless man from the bar. "Is this funny to you? Is this how you handle yourself!" She held his body in the air and shook him, his limbs moved with the freedom of a recently emptied body. "You enjoy this!?" She screamed and flung the corpse over her head. It struck the wall beside Ondre, its impact carving a crater in the wall.

The body clung to the wall with a paste created from his coagulated blood and mashed bone. I watched him slide down and fall backwards, what was left of his flesh scraping against the rock. Before I had the time to turn my head I felt a slap across my face; a backhand with tremendous force. I was sent to the floor and saw the Queen grabbed by her neck and flung to the mashed corpse on the wall.

"Touch him again and you die." Ondre held her against the wall, her arm twisted painfully high on her back, her skull pressed firm on the stone. Her newborns watched on silently; as much as they loved their Queen, they held much more fear of him. "Am I understood?" He asked calmly. With a groan she agreed and he let her go, coming back he helped brush the bits of body from my skin.

"I'm fine." I grabbed his hand and held it aside. "I'm fine." He touched my cheek, the scratches in my flesh healing as his fingers traced them. Queen Serana straightened her attire and looked over at me dipped her head, an apology, then spun about and began for the basement. Stepping over the young man I saw below she shook her head and peered down the stairs.

"Is he down here?" She meant the vampire I found earlier in the evening; he had been drained as close to death as was possible for one of the undead. The blood given to him in the moments before our ambush on the bar had done little to resuscitate him. We had yet to remove the silver from his flesh; with so much blood around us a vampire in such a state would be wholly unpredictable.

"Yes." Ondre said quietly.

She hit the bottom of the steps and continued in to the room where the drainers had been. "Ugh—" She grabbed the side of her head upon seeing the mess I had made of the two men. "Elliot…" She touched the side of his face and hovered over him, staring down in his eyes. The way she looked down on him was less concerned and more vicious, predatory, yet was as unemotional as I'd ever seen her. After a short moment she stood and pushed past us.

"You should leave now." She said briefly and stomped up the stairs, shouting for her children once she reached the threshold of the bar.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Ondre touched my hand; instinctively I ensnared his fingers around mine and gripped him tight. With a light chuckle he led me up the stairs, through our carnage, and into the night.

* * *

"Put them in the barrel." Ondre commanded of me as he undressed. We were in parking lot a few miles away from the city, the gas station that once occupied this corner of the street has long since closed it doors. Under the eaves which once protected the volatile fuel from sunlight there was space for no more than five cars; Ondre and I stood in the center, a tall barrel between us. His coat had been tossed in and he now pulled the blood-crusted shirt from his chest.

I stared mindlessly at him for a moment and followed behind him. This was nothing new to me; these clothes had to be burnt, nothing could remain. Thankfully I had the foresight to plan ahead. These clothes were ugly, leftovers from Annabelle's generosity. I felt nothing over losing them aside from the gloves my Love gave me before our excursion, but they must be burnt. Ondre had stripped to his pants; he bent over and unlaced his boots while I peeled the denim from my body.

I kicked off my shoes and threw them in to the mix. My coat, pants, and shirt went in next and then I went after my underwear. They were with drying and coagulating blood; that such a macabre sensation should feel so natural is the state of the vampire, Ondre felt it too, I know he did. I dipped my hand under the waistband and felt Ondre's hand on my arm.

"You smell incredible." He touched his lips to my ear and ran his hand up along my ribs, his fingertips brushing into the patch of fur surrounding my shaft.

"I reek of death, and misery." I recited slowly. He exhaled a hearty laugh on the nape of my neck and rubbed his nose across the dip in the base of my skull.

"It's an unwelcome change, my Love." I didn't quite know what to say, it was far too easy to help him finish undressing me. He nudged me into the frigid metal and we stumbled backwards. I lifted my soaked underwear from the pavement with a toe and flung it in. Ondre enveloped my ear lobe with his lips and pulled me closer to his broad, sculpted body.

"Reach around me." He nuzzled my neck. "Go on, reach around." He said the words with total provocation.

"You know how I love that." He purred and loosened his grasp, sending me a signal I interpreted with perfect clarity. I wiggled against his body and spun around in his arms. Our hips met with a sudden and familiar blooming of warmth; I tucked my face under his neck and slid my hand around his torso. I felt a disposable lighter taped to his back.

"Tape?" I giggled. "You know this is going to hurt, right?"

"I'm counting on it."

"Oh…" Ondre grumbled and lid his hands over my hips; his fingertips playfully tickled my rear. I plucked at a corner of the heavy, commercial duct-tape timidly while kissing the space under his jaw. His head rolled back, exposing his neck and in a single, violent pull I ripped it off of his skin. His fangs extended, body tensed, and he grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling my head back as his had just been. He snarled at me, I hissed back; his nails plunged into my flesh and he groaned.

I pushed against him; sliding my body against him I sparked the flint of the lighter and held it lit for a moment. Our fangs came close to touching, we moved apart and came closer again, a kiss between predators. His fingertips sank deeper when I touched the hot metal cap of the lighter to the flesh of his back. He roared and leaned back on his heels.

"Fucker." He touched his forehead to mine and pushed my head to the side, submitting to a less painful experience. He grabbed the handheld explosive from me and with a kiss pushed away from me. He grabbed a scrap of newspaper from a bench rolled it together and ignited it, throwing in the barrel, the lighter in after it.

"Come on, there's a pond just across the way where we can wash."

"Okay." I grabbed his hand and together we ran into the night. The fire would burn itself out before dawn, the final physical reminder of a murderous night devoured by flame.

The pond Ondre mentioned was close, we reached it within minutes and stood on its edge for a moment; enjoying the night in the presence of our lover. The far edge was obviously the deepest, a small venerable pier jutting out in to the calm, green water.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?"

"Very." He answered. I looked to my side to see him staring back at me. I smiled and pushed him away; he stumbled for a step but twisted out of my reach and came around from behind. He threw his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. The blood on my skin was now dry; his hands moving about my body broke the flakes to dust, it fluttered in the sky on slow, easy breezes around us. "Step in." He mumbled and moved around me, taking me by the hand he stepped in to the pond. I followed behind him and soon we were rolling together in the piercingly cold water.

Ondre's leg mingled with mine as we pawed at each other's face. Exchanging kisses he pulled on my arm caressed my neck and massaged my leg, pulling them over his and moving up my body. The blood swirled around us in rusty spirals and we continued our dance. He sucked on the flesh of my neck and grabbed a hold of my ass with a fist.

"Right here." I mumbled to the air. "Right now…"

"In the water?" He asked. I pushed against him and clamped my legs together, whining from the force of his body on mine. Ondre said nothing in response; instead he spread his legs apart and slid his hands closer together, they met in the center of my bottom and he pulled my flesh apart. His rounded fingertip poked at my tender, pink skin; rolling around its outer ridge with carnal intention and loving affection.

"Ahh!" I gasped and lifted myself on his thighs. My arms snaked around his neck and my fingers ventured through his short, trimmed hair. Ondre sounded in the side of my neck; it reverberated in his chest and rippled the water that suspended us. He kissed me and eased his lengthy, nimble fingers inside my body; their subtle movements lazily preparing me for an invasion of much greater intensity.

"Enh—ugh…" I whimpered, Ondre responded with a touch to the side of my face. It wasn't until I felt the wooden post that I remembered seeing the pier on the edge of the lagoon; a seasoned construct, the iron nails rusted in the aged, forgotten wood. His lips split in a grin and he lifted me out of the water laying my shoulders down on the planks. I grabbed hold of the pylon and pushed my way back. My barbarian gripped the column and shot up from the pool, climbing over top me.

As he neared me I saw an entanglement of long-dead vegetation draped across his shoulder. I reached up and plucked it from his muscle, it was slimy, coated in a thick layer of winter-algae. It broke as I touched it; brittle and weak from decay. Its slime gave it lubricant and what was left slid down off him and landed on my neck.

Ondre chuckled at the face I made and swatted it away. It struck the surface of the pond with a forceful splash that sent up a spray which sprinkled on us in tiny, stinging droplets. I felt the swollen head of his cock glide across the sensitive tissues along the inside of my thigh. A sharp gasp escaped my mouth in excitement and he retreated; Ondre pulled back and with a roguish snicker he shoved again, pushing slower, harder.

He teased me like this until I could stand it no longer. I bumped him with my pelvis and pushed him away with my arms. Ondre relented and I flipped over, holding myself steady on my arms.

He fell in to the cleft of my rear and I let him toy with me for another moment. Grinding against each other my barbarian clutched me to his body with one arm around me chest, his hand on my stomach. Searching for his entry point he slowed, finding what he sought in seconds. He repositioned his knees, spread them apart and moved his hand to my back.

"Ugh….Leon…" He said my name slowly as he entered me; it hurt but the sound of his voice soothed the pain, distracted my mind.

Ondre's shaft was an uncommon shape, I'd not seen many more than his, but I'd never seen another like it. His head was normal, large and almost pointed, but normal, with a heavy ring of foreskin around the bottom. It was long, longer than mine; nearly a third of the way down it widened to its thickest section before tightening to a slimmer base. It was unique, beautiful, and the way he wielded it was enough to ignite the flesh and jolt the psyche.

There it went, his thickest section slid inside and he pushed deeper.

"Ouhh…Ondre…" I cringed from the pain and reached behind my back, grabbing his hand I brought it around and cupped it to my chest. He leaned over and stabilized himself with his free hand, burying his face in the base of my skull. He kissed me and I turned my neck, rubbing my flesh on his as he pulled past mine. It hurt more than before, coming out is always more painful than going in, but I focused on his breath beating down my neck and soon I was lost in the sensations he filled me with.

The wood beneath us cracked and began to give to Ondre's unrelenting pounding; I too was nearing my breaking point. With his fingers spread out across my chest I rested my head on the damp pier and shut my eyes, holding tight to his hand I inched closer and closer to climax; Ondre as well. He rammed into me hard and fast, his curling toes broke apart the stage below us but it didn't stop him.

"Ugh…" He grunted. "Uu-Ahh! Léon!" Ondre howled and pumped again, each impact timed to the threads of crimson spilling from his body to mine. The tension was released and I was flooded with liquid. Sparks shot from my fingertips and lightning raced along my spine as seed shot from my body, striking the ruined pier underneath. Each jet created waves in the energy of my being and lessened until I fell limp against the wood.

"I think you broke my hand…" Ondre whined. I immediately let go and moved to nurse him. "No. I'm fine." He drew his hand away from my chest with a pained, but contented sigh. I saw it in the moonlight, I certainly had broken it; several of his metacarpals had been fractured, if not smashed outright.

"Ondre!" I exclaimed in broken gasps. "I'm so sorry, I d—"

"Hush, now." He touched me with his unbroken hand and bumped his skull to my neck. "I'll be fine. My strong Leon." He kissed my ear then ran his forehead along my damp scalp. "See?" He proclaimed with his hand under my nose, it's mangled bones realigned it was perfectly untouched. "I'm fine." Another kiss on the side of my face and he pulled himself away, there was a sound, a pop and I felt what he left inside of me leaking out.

Just then his arm swept under mine, locked around my chest and lifted me up. He tucked his other hand beneath my legs and stood, holding me at eye level. I was quiet, he was quiet, the night was still and the moon was bright. We remained there on the pier for a short time; it had been destroyed by our desires and wouldn't last the winter.

Ondre and I arrived home late in the morning and spent the few hours before dawn trading stories with Artemis. I thought it was best to inform her everything that occurred. I would always tell the honest truth to my child, always.

"How many?" She asked in disbelief.

"Twenty four, total. Your maker managed three." Ondre explained.

"You…You killed twenty one men? Were they all involved?"

"I'm sure some of them were."

"Huh…" She said in a hushed tone.

"You have to understand, Artemis, those men attacked us first. They wronged us, our kind. It is my job to ensure the safety of all vampires in my area; I did what I had to." He said curtly. I felt a rip in the air between us, it was slight but noticeable, like the sudden shift in air flow when a door has been closed.

"I apologize. I'm going to wash the blood out of my hair, goodnight." Ondre then stood and left the room.

"Hmp." She made the noise from deep in her throat and shook her head.

"Hey!" I snapped and grabbed her hand. "Show him some respect, that vampire we found tonight could just have easily been you or I."

"I know that, Leon. I just don't know—" She paused and shook her head again. "It's nothing."

"Artemis!" I shook her hand and leaned in closer. "Speak to me, I won't be upset with you." Artemis was quiet then looked up at me, her ghastly-blue eyes twinkling beyond her thick eyelashes.

"Do you promise?" She held up her pinky to me.

"Yes, I promise." I grabbed her hand expectantly. She laughed and shook her hand free.

"No, like this." She held her hand out again, her littlest finger extended the others tucked under themselves in a poorly formed fist. "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise?" I mimicked her, she reached out and wrapped her finger around mine, turning her palm upwards. "Pinky promise." I said watching a smile creep across her sweet face.

"Okay." She flashed her eyes away then back. "Well, I know he has a stressful job, and a shitty boss, but can't he like…just be nicer?" I'm sure Ondre heard her, and I'm also sure he heard me burst out in laughter.

"Artemis, that is Ondre being nice."

"He's nice to you!"

"Please, listen to me. It takes him some time to warm up to others…a long time." She laughed with me now, almost in spite of the way she felt about my response. "He likes you, he cares about you, just give him time, and your respect." She made another sound and cut her eyes up at me again.

"Okay."

"Pinky promise." I said and extended my hand for her. She opened her mouth and began to speak but stopped herself and grinned, taking my finger as she had before.

"Pinky promise."

* * *

The Queen was certainly not pleased with how we handled the drainers at the bar, but she handled our mess just fine. According to the official reports the bar had caught fire during a live music performance, in a wicked twist of fate the patrons had been locked in and burned to death. By the time the news reached the authorities, there was nothing but ash and ember.

It had been several days since that night and our Queen had been silent, we continued our lives as we always had, more or less. Artemis spent a great deal of time with Christina; the night of the investigation the two solidified their relationship. She told me they were now 'dating'. Clueless, apparently, I asked her what they'd been doing if not just that. She laughed at me the way I'm sure children laugh at their parents all over the world.

Tonight was the night I would finally meet her, Ondre stood at my side in the closet as I tried to piece together a suitable, appropriate outfit.

"Should I wear a pair of my shoes?"

"Were you planning on going barefoot?" Always a smart remark.

"I mean my heels."

"Why wouldn't you wear a pair of them?"

"Well, I don't want her to get the wrong idea." Ondre chuckled and stepped behind me, reaching past my head and grabbing the candy-pink pair he bought me a time ago.

"You should wear these." They were a beautiful pair of shoes; thin, spike-like heels nearly as long as my hand covered in bright, candy-colored pink.

"You think?" He passed them off to me and moved about the closet, grabbing articles of clothing.

"You pick." He held up two shirts, one made of a black silk, the other a white of the same material. The black shirt was embellished with ornate silvery-gray wisps about the wrists, abdomen, collar, and hem. The other was solid white, its buttons a dull, metallic black. I looked them over and after a moment it was obvious. I pointed at the white shirt, and with a smile he laid the other back on a rack and walked the shirt to me.

I took it from him and threw the hanger to the floor, unbuttoning the shirt and pulling my arms through. Ondre stared, his thumb plucking at his bottom lip. I turned the collar up and threw the bottom of the shirt about my stomach while working the cuffs. Ondre reached out and laid his hand on the lowest part of my abdomen, his fingers flirting with the waistband of my bright red underwear.

"Do we have time for that?"

"Not enough to get you off." He pulled me into him, a coy smile on his face. I shook him off and walked to the back of the closet, grabbing a pair of solid white pants that were too tight to be comfortable and stepped into them. Ondre behind me he pulled them up past my waist as I laid my other leg into the space, his finger slipping beneath the denim to straighten it out. It lingered, of course, but I made no fuss and moved back to where I had stashed the shoes, slipping them over my feet.

"Oh my." He said. "That's a lot of white."

"Too much white?"

"Hmm…" He made a sound and after plucking at his chin for a moment he blazed around the closet and reappeared behind me. "Hold still." Ondre insisted and lifted a large, structured article of cloth over my head. I recognized its fit as the unbearably restricting embrace of a corset.

"Oh, Ondre." I said and adjusted it over my hips, pulling my shirt to lay flat beneath it.

"Suck it in, Love." He leaned in and kissed the side of my face. I took a breath and braced myself against the island in the center of the closet. Ondre meticulously pulled the braided nylon through the eyes of the garment with precision and careful attention. Starting at the top, just below the pointed ends of my shoulder blades, he tightened it most ardently just above the center giving my body a much softer, more feminine shape.

Ondre laid his hands on the thick, dark material resting on the apex of my hips and ran his nose along the back of my neck.

"You look wonderful, my Love."

"It's fun, playing vampire Barbie, isn't it?"

"It is indeed." He grabbed a fistful of the flesh on my rear and stepped around me. Grabbing one of my long, dramatic, leather coats he walked it towards me and helped me in; throwing the collar up then laying it flat again, fidgeting with it here and there.

"Can't make up your mind, can you?" Ondre smiled at me and stepped away. He leaned back on his heels and took in the ensemble he helped create.

"Hmm…" He made a sound and turned around.

"Ondre, you're worse than me, honestly." I teased and walked towards the far end of the closet "Whatever." He said continuing to rifle through my clothes.

On the floor, under the swaying tails of my coats, was a chest Ondre had shipped from his homeland. It was beautiful in of itself, but it housed an unimaginably beautiful collection of gems. Unlatching it and lifting the top a thousand gleaming stones sparkled in the light. A year ago, I'd have never thought to be looking at them, much less to claim them as mine. In truth, most of them were Annabelle's; the gems she stole from Jackson's vault before fleeing to the underground fortress in the mountains of West Virginia, rather. But she was long dead, none had stepped forward to reclaim them, and none would.

There were emeralds in gleaming golden settings hanging from chains as long as my arm. Sapphires and diamonds set in beautiful platinum, rubies fastened to copper brooches and pendants. After a moment of awe-struck silence I decided on the ruby pendant Ondre had given to me the night of the Queen's coronation and fixed it to shirt above my heart, laying the coat over it and closing the chest up. I stood and saw Ondre drawing his arms into his coat; the stylish floor-length dark-brown trench he wore so often.

"Ready?" He asked, laying the collar over his shoulders.

"Ready."

Together we made for Mao who waited patiently outside, standing before the black limousine he was hired to drive.

"You look wonderful, Mister Leon." He said, bowing as we appeared, his accent thick but understandable.

"Thank you." I smiled and dipped my head. He held the door open for us and climbed in. We were to meet Artemis and Christina at Cicero's, whereupon we would drink and socialize. It would be a first for me. My daughter's girlfriend, a human, wanted to meet me and my lover, both vampires. It would be an understatement to say I was anxious. Artemis was there, warming up Christina for our arrival. We had a booth on reserve for tonight, Ondre being the owner we could have had the entire establishment, but that would serve no other purpose than to scare our human guest.

We arrived slightly after ten o'clock and were met at the stairs by Mirabella.

"Hello Leon, Ondre."

"Mirabella." Ondre responded as I hung off his arm.

"Hello." I said.

"Don't you look nice." She complemented with a smile on her face. "Artemis and her date are here and waiting. Follow me." With that she led us through the crowd and to the booth above the bar, the same booth Artemis and I sat at the night I met Nikolas. Apparently it was the owner's booth, Ondre's booth. There beside Artemis, sitting adorably close to her, was the most beautiful human I'd ever laid eyes on.

Her hair was a rich, vibrant red, almost unnaturally so, but hair dye is painfully obvious to vampiric eyes; this was natural. Her face was a perfect oval, soft and delicate, eyes long and narrow with deep, forest green irises. Sun-kissed skin draped in a respectfully low-cut empire waist cocktail dress made of sparkling red fabric, it exaggerated her shape and pushed her breasts up high. She and Artemis laughed in a world apart from the rest of us until Mirabella spoke up to us.

"Shall I take your coats?" She asked.

"Yes, please." Ondre slid his off and handed it her way. I did the same just as Artemis said something to me.

"When did you get that?" She pointed at my abdomen, meaning the corset clutching tight to my stomach.

"Not too long ago, you were nose deep in the dresses, if memory serves." I joked with Artemis, she smiled and flashed me her eyes before fixing them on Ondre. She smiled and gave him a little wave.

"Um, yeah! That's right!" My daughter shook her head and moved to stand; sliding out from the booth Christina came out after her. "Christina, this is Leon, and that's Ondre. They're pretty much my parents."

"Hello, Leon. My name's Christina, it's wonderful to meet you." She held out her hand, I took it and laid a kiss on her knuckles and bowed before her.

"Likewise, Christina."

"Ondre." She said and extended her hand towards him. He looked at her with a sly smile and engaged in her greeting.

"Ah, God. You're strong." She shook her hand and grabber at her wrist. Artemis looked from Christina to Ondre with wide, nearly-frightening eyes but calmed down once she was reassured of her companion's wellbeing. Artemis let Christina sit first, then she moved in behind her; Ondre and I did the same on the other end, giving me the pleasure of sitting beside the bold, interesting human. Mirabella appeared not a moment later with her hands together, ready to serve.

"Anything I can get you?" She asked the table.

"Could we get a bottle of whiskey? Perhaps with a few shot glasses as well?" I said instantly. Ondre looked past his shoulder and smiled at me.

"Yes, four glasses, please." He agreed.

"Alright, let's do it." Christina said. Artemis smiled and nodded, then reached over and laid her hand on her girlfriend's arm.

"I'll be right back." Mirabella smiled and backed away, she turned around and I turned my attention back to the table.

"You must forgive me, I don't know too many vampires-" Christina began. "But, aren't you thirsty?"

"No, not particularly, but I appreciate your concern."

"That's a lovely brooch." She said, nodded her head towards the ruby.

"Thank you." Without meaning I reached up, touching its cold, smooth surface. "It was a gift, from this one." I bumped Ondre's chest with my knuckle and smiled up at him.

"Cost a fortune." He said, breaking the ice with his dead-pan humor.

"Artemis tells me you and Ondre have been together for nearly forty years. That's amazing."

"All-together it's been almost four decades. We separated years ago and only recently reunited."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-I didn't know-" I leaned over and touched her hand.

"You're fine. I'm not offended." Her lips curled into a crooked smile.

"She also tells me you're a hundred years old, is that true?"

"I am, I was turned in nineteen-fifteen." I sat back and she leaned over on the mirrored tabletop.

"Wow, that's incredible."

"Not hardly." Ondre said.

"Are you older than Leon?" She asked. It was refreshing to see a human so unafraid of Ondre. She seemed interested in him, not scared or off-put by his gauche behavior.

"Much older. We just celebrated my 700th birthday."

"Seven hundred! That's astounding. I can't imagine the things you've seen."

"It's best you try not to." Christina laughed and Ondre settled in to the seat, laying his hand over my shoulder.

"That's enough about us, tell me something about you." I said to the bold human.

"Well, I'm a local girl; born and raised. I went to school for law, but it wasn't my thing. I dropped out and moved back home. Since then I've been working around the community, I volunteer at the orphanage and homeless shelter. I work at a local health food store and am sort of waiting for my future to reveal itself."

"Isn't she amazing?" Asked Artemis. I smiled, exhaling a laugh at her enthusiasm.

"You are fairly extraordinary." Said Ondre. "How long have you been coming to Cicero's?"

"A few weeks. I love it here. It's such a mellow place to come for drinks. Do you come often?"

"You could say that."

"He owns it." Artemis said.

"You own this place?"

"Among other things."

"Wow. I had no idea. Let me just say, as a patron, this place is perfect." Ondre laughed and thanked her.

"To think! I've been paying for drinks this whole time!" I liked this human. She was hilarious, and incredibly brave.

"No longer. I'll have a word with Mirabella, you'll drink for free like the rest of us."

"I don't want to put you out of business!"

"Trust me, with what we charge, we'll get by."

"With what you charge I'm surprised you're not rolling in money."

"They are." Artemis added and the table burst into laughter.

Our evening with Christina was quite enjoyable, being with her was effortless and she was able to speak with us as if we were equals. In a way we were, but in so many others we were not. Artemis held on to her every word, coddling her hand under the table, a smile beaming on her face. When the clock neared midnight Ondre and I took our leave under the guise of business, in truth I had drank just too much alcohol and was having trouble 'handling my shit', as Ondre said before.

I hung off his arm and together we left. He helped me put on my coat and took me by the waist, leading me up the stairs and out in to the night. Mao met us at the car and held by the door while we climbed in.

"Ugh…" I groaned and fell against the firm, black leather.

"What is it, my Love?" Ondre sat in the seat and lifted my legs, laying them in his lap he moved closer. I rolled over on my back and covered my eyes.

"Why did I let you put me in a corset?" He snickered and pulled the shoes off my feet.

"Because you look so damn good in it." I laughed one, then rolled against the seat and laughed again. Mind you I was under the influence; I had little self-awareness by this point. "Would you like me to remove it for you?" He reached up my leg and traced his fingers along the inside of my thigh.

"No…" I shut my eyes and hoped he would continue. His hand stopped after a moment and he let it rest on my hamstrings; he rhythmically tapped his fingers until we arrived home where he helped me out and into our home. Ondre laid me in our bed and kissed the side of my face.

"One moment, my Love." I heard him moving about our home; down the stairs, off the porch and back in the house, up the stairs and into our bedroom. He touched my shoulder gently undressed me. The restricting corset came last and with its removal I took a deep breath and rolled over. Ondre removed his clothes and stepped up on the bed.

He planted his knees on the side of my legs and sank down into me, kissing my neck and cheek.

"I love you." I said with an intoxicated sigh.

"I love you." Ondre touched his lips to my collar bone and rolled off of me. I turned over and reached across his chest, resting my head on his breast. My night ended in the moments following.

* * *

~Ondre

Dusk had just fallen when my phone sounded off by my head, my Love sleeping beside me. I grumbled and grabbed at the annoying device recognizing the number as one used only by the Queen.

"Hello?" I answered it hearing her shrill, Italian voice.

"Get your ass over here. NOW!"

"Excuse me?" She was furious, angrier even than the day I snatched her against the wall of her own home, or the night of the massacre at the bar.

"A vampire's gone on a killing spree. In your area! Get over here, now!" Then silence; I knew I had no choice but to leave my Love before he'd ever woken up. I wrote him a note as I had a time before and left. As I ran to the Queen's home I could not shake the feeling that my brother was responsible, which made me responsible.


	35. Promises in the Dark

~Ondre

Leon slept peacefully as I left him; serene and undisturbed by my absence. I kissed his face and left a note on our sheets. Moving in a great haste I arrived at the Queen's home within twenty minutes, the sooner I could return to Leon, the better. I landed just beyond her gate and was greeted by a large number of her brood. The one I knew as Kira, a small, dark-skinned vampire of local descent, stepped forward and called to me.

"Sheriff."

"Out of my way." I pushed her aside and continued up the lengthy yard.

"She's inside, you'll hear." The infant called. I cleared the distance in a moment and opened her doors; quite rudely I went in unannounced but I'm positive she heard me as the moment I passed the threshold of her home it took no longer than a second before she stood in front of me.

"Are you completely incompetent? Have you been doing your job at all, the job I pay you enormous sums of money to do! I have to find out about these killings from a human? An investigator!" I would allow her few outbursts like this; she may have been Queen, but should she continue to shout at me I would show her who held the power in this relationship. "I wake up to hear that three humans have been found torn to shreds, their bodies in tapestries on the walls! You know what that means don't you?" She snarled and before I could retort, began again. "Of course you do! There's a vampire in your area, in my area, killing my people."

"I heard you, Your Majesty." She made a noise sounding as if my statement had the desired effect; her eyes narrowed and she stared on for a brief second.

"There's also a dead vampire, a centenarian, she was found alongside one of the bodies."

"A dead vampire?" Nikolas, that pathetic waste of blood; this would be his final transgression.

"Yes." She turned around, throwing the train of her dress behind her with a dramatic flourish. "A dead vampire in your area, hardly two miles from the home of you, your partner, and his newborn. I cannot stop myself from thinking—" I snarled, instantly sent far beyond my limit for her nonsense.

"Don't you dare accuse Leon of this." She recoiled at this, staggering away from me then fell silent. She stared at me and straightened her spine, then her dress.

"Find the immortal and end their madness. I've lost enough money on you and your mistakes."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Get the fuck out of my house." She threw her arm at me and turned away; I was all too happy to oblige. Before leaving she gave me all the currently gathered information surrounding the murders. There was an obvious pattern, anyone could see the rage expressed in these deaths, but I knew its source. These were the killings of my brother, there was no denying that.

The deceased had been found in literal scraps of flesh and bone; a roaring indication of pure, unrestrained ferocity. What was recovered of these deceased was found in forgotten infrastructure, places time left behind; their shredded remains found in dark, sequestered rooms hidden far from the sunlight. Nikolas would stalk them, learn their patterns, and then take them to these places to torture them, rape them, and ultimately end their lives.

Listed were notes of missing personal effects; a golden chain, the platinum and diamond stud from a piercing in the young girl's brow. If I knew absolutely nothing else about these murders, I could say with certainty that my brother had been responsible. In our years together he would use these tokens to recollect and remember. He would trace them over his lips, under his nose; inhaling the remnants of scent and transporting him to the day he took their life.

My brother was cruel and vicious, more so than Leon and I ever were. Our maker exhausted himself on my brother's murderous nature and I know with certainty it is his doing that Zuriel gave himself to the sun. Zuriel's greatness will never again be seen on this earth, I am but an insignificant fraction of his eminence. Leon, being more the man and vampire than I will ever achieve is of no comparison to Zuriel, they are in separate leagues; my maker was a god among the godless.

He made innumerable attempts to restrain my brother's appetite for flesh and blood over the centuries they spent together. These were fruitless endeavors and after nearly three-hundred years he released him and denounced the ties of their blood, something I'd not heard of before or have since. In the two-hundred years he lived on his own he was a nomad, living where the blood took him.

He was a tortured soul, and sought love in the fragile arms of humans, but for a time he found what he so desperately desired. He lived with a beautiful female on the Siberian tundra, providing for her, protecting her, serving as her guardian; she was his. Her name was Iliana, and though she adored his strength and ability, her heart belonged to another, a human man by the name of Kristov. The two of them spent their days together, for a time hiding their torrid affair, but Nikolas soon discovered them in the act.

He slaughtered them in anguish and rage; becoming more of a monster than he would have ever accomplished on his own. I tried to save him from himself, on more occasions than I care to remember, but he had given up what was left of his humanity the night he lost his love by his own hand. The night he appeared at my doorstep, threatening the reason of my existence, I could smell the strip of her dress he wore around his arm; he kept his true treasures on him at all times. They were reminders of his vile and despicable habits, and in his eyes, a connection to a time when his heart would beat.

I had to inform Leon and so I made for the street, retrieving my phone and dialing his number.

* * *

"Thursdays." The girl said. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was gorgeous; stilettoes and lace with stardust and gemstones adorning her flesh. She sat on the plush, black stool and set to adjusting her ornamentation.

"How many?" I asked her and moved to tighten the strap of my boot. I pushed aside the heavy, leather skirt and latched the lacquered bootstrap under its buckle. Flayed open down the front with a seam that flirted with my knees, my skirt revealed the ghostly-white flesh of my legs and the hairless spot of skin on the innermost section of my groin. I pulled on the strip of nylon that trailed up my thigh to tighten my stockings.

I looked up, seeing an image in the mirror placed behind the dressing station. I saw a man who could have resembled me, possibly, but he was too beautiful a sight to exist. His hair smoldered like melted gold and his eyes shone with sunlight, as if he'd been kissed by magic. Preening myself I stared in the mirror until I was able to comprehend that the vision I saw was, in fact, me. I tossed the smoking-gold fringe of hair across my eye and threw a string of pearls around my neck; once for security, once for dramatic effect. The strand hung far below the sturdy ribbon of my choker-style necklace and tickled my abdomen.

"One." I turned around and set the toe of my boot to the floor. The thick, black lace on my fingerless, suffocating tailored gloves fluttered over my knuckles and veiled the bands around my digits. I grabbed at the collar around my neck and spun the pendant in my fingertips. It was a prolife-portrait in glossy, monochromatic enamel displaying a man's face with sharp, carnivorous features; so striking was his face that I stared mindlessly at it in my reflection of the mirror across the room.

"One?" She stood and held a long swatch of brilliant, patterned, violet silk in her hands, presenting it as she neared me. I took it and rolled it in my fist, stealing another glance at the silhouette in the mirror I tucked it under the wide strap of leather circling my bare waist. With another tussle to my hair I took a breath and began to ready myself; I preferred a crowd, it's always easier with a crowd.

"Just one. You're on, Baby-Doll." She touched my shoulder; her face a mass of swirling flesh-colored smoke, then she turned around and walked away. Then she stepped up to the wall and after throwing a final glance over her shoulder she stepped in to the wall, disappearing. I saw her vanish in a cloud of the same, familiar smoke; it spread across the room and the vision burnt away. Darkness became sizzling ember and I saw the room transform around me.

A soft, red glow cast on me from stage lights above, jazz hummed along the velvet curtain to my flanks and every breath of mine was thick with smoke; tobacco and something more. I inhaled deeper and could smell the polish on the wooden stage. I knew this place, I knew it well. It was the Ambrosia Lounge, the first and most tasteful of the clubs I worked in during the final few decades of the nineteen-hundreds. I took a breath through my nostrils and stepped up to the runway, my eyes on the glistening pole at end of the peninsula.

I adjusted the brilliant, violet scarf in my belt and stopped for a moment on the edge of the stage. My song began, a modest, Latin samba accompanied by a lone trumpet; I took my place at the end of the runway. The light from above stuck my eyes and blinded me during my walk. I closed them and went slowly, moving from my hips, dragging my hands along the contours of my body. I felt my way towards the metal pole and once before it, I turned around and eased back on the cold steel. My hands grabbed loosely around the pole above my head and I flung myself around it as the stage lights whirred to life.

With a voice like honey and whiskey a man begged his lover for a dance while I lowered myself on the balls of my feet. Opening my eyes I saw him in the only chair in the building. Ondre sat mere feet from the edge of my stage, his eyes gazing into mine. Instantly this dance that meant nothing meant everything, it was his dance, it was our dance. My nerves were replaced by nerve, any fear or anxiety I felt only a moment before was immediately banished. I gazed into his incredibly bright, sage green eyes and I became suddenly aware that it was his face I wore on the fabric around my neck. No amount of words would have been capable of expressing the overwhelming sensations of blissful completion I received from understanding that I had been marked as his.

With a grin he graciously returned I pivoted and stood, all in one motion, and grabbed the steel high above my head with my legs crossed uncomfortably close. I lifted myself off the stage and clenched the metal between my thighs then slowly ascended. At the apex I locked my legs at the knee and laid back, with my arms spread out I looked over his sharp, angular face. I could smell his habit from here; it was pungent and musty, absolutely rancid.

Its tip sizzled on his inhale, I watched his stomach expand with his breath; the breath of a warrior. I combed my fingers through my hair and spiked it down the center, it held there like the crest of a cock. I winked at him as he pulled the roll of tobacco away from his mouth and smiled, dipping his head as smoke rolled out past his narrow lips; always a gentleman, my barbarian. Giggling to myself I felt my teeth on my bottom lip. Then, using the muscles of my legs I pulled my core up to the cold metal and rested my chest against it.

With pearls down my back I reached for the scarf in my belt and removed it, I held it in my fingers and let myself arch backwards again. I ran it along the exaggerated lines of my stomach, through the cleft of my chest, then, with a theatric toss it ended its journey in fluttering fall for his lap. Ondre reached out for it and caught it in a tight fist, what he did next I did not see; I was very much not yet finished.

I grabbed the steel with a single hand and unlocked my legs, letting them fall. Through precise manipulation of the muscles in my arm I shot around the steel and landed directly behind it. I rose, slowly, and rocked forward on my boots. Then I removed the strand of pearls from my neck and wrapped it around my wrist, latching it together with plenty left to dangle, and began down the strip of polished, dimpled wood.

The music's tempo remained steady but a violin joined in a harmonious rhapsody. I unbuckled the skirted, leather belt about my waist and threw it off the side of the stage, continuing behind the curtain to retrieve my final, most ostentatious prop. She appeared in my arms in a burst of smoke and hissed, her tongue flicking at my flesh. Her name was Anora; a pet of Jacqueline's, an eight-foot python from deep in the heart of the African continent. She was slow on my cold skin and settled along my shoulders, her triangular head resting beside Ondre's enameled profile.

I petted her shinning, diamond-patterned scales as she wrapped around my waist, the stubby end of her tail slipping under the waistband of my underwear. Ondre watched me with his thumb on the pink flesh of his lip, his reefer burning without intervention. The music strummed along with its spicy, salsa inspired jazz and every movement I made becoming an interaction between him and me; my arms across my chest begging him to hold me, fingers on my neck wishing to be replaced by his lips, a swaying pelvis yearning to feel him against me.

Anora slid down my stomach and meandered off my leg, vanishing in the darkness around us. Without her I grabbed on to the column and ascended again; my routine now seconds from completion. In grand, winding, extravagant movements I snaked my way to the very apex of the pillar. The man begged his lover once more, his voice quaking with desire and I took a breath, then shut my eyes and let go. The lights were cut along with the music and I dropped from the pole, floating free of gravity above the stage.

Light returned and I spun around in the air to see Ondre moving to stand. He pinched the end of his cigar between his thumb and forefinger then tucked it into the front pocket of his coat. Smiling at me he clapped his hands together a few times and reached up, catching me about the waist. I fell from the air and landed in his arms, he stumbled back a step but caught me, and with a sigh of content I nuzzled my face against the woolen fabric over his wide, rigid chest. The length of silk I threw him was looped around his hand and tied in a knot; it scrubbed across my neck along with his palm, knuckles, and fingertips.

"My Léon, I can hardly find the words…I love you—" His voice faded and the scene around me blurred, dissipating with the smoke that created it. There was something beyond this realm pulling me away, a distant sound growing louder and harsher. I heard it clearly now; my phone ringing on the massive, cylindrical, wooden nightstand beside my head. I jerked to consciousness and grabbed for it, rolling over in the bed I answered his call and was immediately elated.

"Ondre, I just saw you in a dream."

"Did you, my Love?"

"I did." I stretched my arm out and felt a scrap of paper beneath; it crumbled and crinkled under my elbow as I shifted around in the bed.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice soft but ripe with enthusiasm.

"I danced for you. There was a pole, and I had snake. You loved it." He chuckled; I heard the rush of breath across the microphone.

"I don't doubt that for a moment." He was quiet while I shuffled about in our bed. I saw the battered note and grabbed for it, silently reading his elaborately penned marks.

'My Love—

The Queen has summoned me and I have gone to meet her. I hope to return before you wake; should I fail, please, forgive me.

Je t'aime…' I traced the ink marks with my fingertip and read over it again. The strokes of his letters were long and flowed across the page, bleeding into those around it; he scrawled this hastily, I could nearly read the panic in his words.

"What happened, Ondre? I found your note. Perhaps I've gone mad, but your note…I don't know for sure, but, is everything alright?" He drew a breath as if to prepare to speak but remained silent. There was a pause, an eerie, unsettling silence and I felt my heart rise to my throat. "No..."

"Yes."

"He didn't leave?"

"He did not."

"Does the Queen know?" I choked on the words, the implications, the guilt; any of them, all of them at once.

"She knows humans have been killed, a vampire as well, but she knows nothing of the perpetrator nor our involvement."

"Are you sure?" I couldn't begin to imagine the ramifications. No, that's a lie, I can see them clearly. The Queen would have Ondre and I executed, Artemis as well; make an example of us, show that treachery would not be tolerated. I thought of my day of torture with Jacqueline, all because she believed me to have betrayed her; torture comes naturally to our kind, I'm sure Serana Torllona de Roma was no different.

"Fairly, she's livid…" He laughed, somehow able to find humor in the chaos, but that was my barbarian. On that, I was able to breathe; Ondre would continue to be Ondre regardless of the surrounding turmoil. "Had she any inclinations of our indirect involvement I'm positive I wouldn't have left there this evening or woke in our bed, for that matter."

I'm sure he expected a response, but I couldn't manage a thing beyond a shaking, stuttering sigh. My fears had been realized. Against our better judgment we let a killer loose in our area. He promised us he'd leave, we gave him money from our pockets to allow him the opportunity to save himself but he spat in our faces. It was the beginning of the end, our end; I knew it, I could feel it.

"Do you know where he is?"

"I have some ideas, but I've not yet begun to search."

"Be careful..." I couldn't think of stronger, better words to beg that he return to me.

"I will." I thought hearing it would make me feel better, and truthfully, it did; the brief contentment an animal feels as it outruns a hunter, still bearing his barb. "I'll be home soon; I need my gloves and a few lengths of silver."

"I'll have them waiting for you." I looked over to the closet where our chest sat packed full of silver and stakes.

"Don't. I'll be with you longer if I have to find them."

"It sounds as if I should hide them, then."

"That's the spirit." He exhaled in a short, weighty laugh and drew a quick breath. "I'll be there soon. I love you."

"I love you, Ondre. See you soon."

"See you then." He said and ended the call. Immediately I thought of Artemis, she was a newborn and would be no match for Nikolas should they find themselves at odds. I also thought of Christina, she was a beautiful young woman enthralled with the vampire night life and would be an easy victim of his vicious ways. She needed to know, we needed to act, from my bed I called her; Artemis would feel my presence in her blood, her body would quake and my voice would sound in her mind.

"What the fuck!" She shouted from her bedroom, it was obvious my call jerked her to consciousness.

"Come here, please."

"What!?" She screamed louder.

"Artemis! Come here!" I heard her grumble then flop from her bed to the floor, she had a knack for falling, be it intentional or otherwise. She then left her room and walked the short distance from hers to the one I shared with Ondre, and stood beyond the door; waiting for permission. "Open the door." She did just as I commanded and entered. "I called you, when I call you come immediately, no matter the situation." This was the very first time I called her; she would have no way of knowing what it was I had done.

"A call?"

"Don't think too much about it, just come sit." Her face was firm with a mild confusion but she did as I said. She pushed the doors close behind her and navigated the expansive room Ondre and I shared then sat down on his side of the bed. She looked at me, her eyes drifting from mine down my neck to the sheet draped across my waist and tucked under my arm.

"Leon, are you naked?" She grabbed at my sheet and began to lift it as she peered down into the space growing between it and its partner beneath me. She kept on until I felt it begin to pull away from my body, then I answered her question.

"Yes, how else would I sleep?"

"Oh, gross!" She promptly turned her head and dropped the sheet. Comically, she began to swat at the cushions of air pluming up around her. I found myself quite amused at the actions of the quirky vampire with whom I shared blood. She was my very best friend, part of my soul; I am her maker, her blood was birthed in my body.

"What's wrong? Leon, is everything okay?" She asked me after a short silence. I looked up and took a deep breath before beginning.

"Nikolas, the man who showed up here a few nights ago, he killed a man and his vampiric companion. He came to Ondre seeking sanctuary, and like fools we gave it to him. We gave him money with the intention of seeing himself out of the country, but he has not left and has continued his killing. So far it stands at three humans and one immortal, but I know he will not stop. The Queen was alerted to the deaths and now has Ondre working to stop them."

"Okay, what does this have to do with me?"

"I fear for you, Artemis, and Christina as well."

"You think he could kill her?" Her voice quivered.

"I know he could. You must call her and invite her over."

"You want me to bring her here? But he knows we live here…"

"I'm not worried about Nikolas. Call her and tell her whatever you need to get her here. Once she is here you must let her drink your blood."

"Drink my blood? Could that hurt her? What about the addiction?"

"I cannot speak to the addiction; it's a risk you must take to ensure her safety. But should she drink your blood you will be able to feel her. You'll sense her fear, joy, anger; a piece of you will live inside her, you'll be in her head until she dies. Should she find herself at his mercy, or anyone else's, you'll know it, and hopefully we'll be able to save her." She was quiet, her face panicked. "I need you clear headed. You love this girl-"

"More than I can say..." Her chest heaved and she touched a place over her heart.

"I know." I touched her shoulder; her smoky-blue eyes met mine as a bloody tear formed in their corners. "If you love her, you must do this. If she dies, you will know it-"

"Could...Could I turn her...If she dies?" It broke my heart to see my child in such pain, but I could not allow her a newborn. She was a newborn herself; she could not survive on her own much less ensure the survival of another.

"No, you cannot." The tear fell and her porcelain face shattered. I knew what I had to say to make it better; more than say it I had to do it, I would do it. A barbarian, two newborns, and whatever I was, we'd make a veritable nuclear family. "I will turn her. You can't control a newborn."

"You'd save her?" She looked at me from under a curtain of hair with sorrowful, crimson-stained eyes.

"I would save her, for you." Without a word she threw herself to my chest, bawling unlike anything I'd ever heard. It hurt me, physically hurt me; I can't explain it any other way. I laid my arms around her and softly patted her head. "Shh-" The sound came without effort. " Pleure-pas, ma fille...Shh-" _Don't cry, my daughter._ I softly whispered.

"Go, call her. If you love her, you'll do this without hesitation. You must." She looked up at me and wiped away the stream of blood flowing from her eyes. With a nod she climbed off of the bed, bolted through the room and out the door. I heard her on the phone but couldn't focus enough to listen; my thoughts slowly dragged through my mind, weighted down by an all too familiar uncertainty.

I could feel an over-powering sense of dread forcing me deeper into the bed. I laid my hand over my eyes, unable to shake the emotion that had been thrown upon me. I loved Artemis in a way I had loved no other. I do not say I loved her more than I loved Ondre, only that I loved them differently and I could not imagine a life without either. I could not force Artemis to go on without her love, I had been forced to do so and it was the greatest pain I'd ever felt. If I had the opportunity to save her from the darkness I suffered, I would.

I was not suited for life under a monarch, neither was Ondre for that matter. For centuries he lived on the wind, he served himself and no one else; it was the life of a nomadic vampire, a life of true freedom. I wanted that life for us, I wanted to raise my daughter with the understanding that no immortal was above her. I wanted her to know that there was more to life than fear, pain, and death. I wanted to raise her the way Ondre has raised me; to be free, to be strong, to realize her power and revel in it.

"She's coming; it didn't take much coaxing at all." Artemis cooed from my doorway, smears of blood drying across her cheeks.

"She must like you a great deal, Artemis."

"She does, I know she does." Her words were slower and calmer after speaking with Christina; her swirling heart had been soothed by the voice of her love.

"You need to get ready; how long before she arrives?"

"Twenty minutes, maybe more. She's normally late, so probably more like thirty." She chuckled with this and put her hand on her own arm which hung down by her side, her knees shifting under the hem of the spacious shirt she wore to bed.

"Eager, aren't we?" I jested. She blushed and turned away. "Go now, get ready."

"Okay. Oh, one thing. Could I meet her at the gate?" It was innocent enough; I agreed but refrained to tell her I'd be watching from the porch. She nodded, satisfied, and left, soon after I heard the showerhead in her bathroom flushing with water.

"Plotting on procreation, are we?" Somehow, my barbarian had slipped in unnoticed; he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, teeth glimmering behind a smirk. I stared at him for a moment, entranced by the vision of utter perfection presented in his flesh. He was a towering idol of strength and ability; long, round arms attached to his wide, sculpted chest and lean, rippled torso. Ondre stared back, he knew exactly what I was doing, yet he did nothing to subdue my growing desires. He slid his hand down the front of his stomach and lifted the thin, black undershirt past the brim on his dark denim. A strip of his alabaster flesh was revealed, a trail of black hair ran in the valley between the muscles of his abdomen.

"Can you blame me?" I asked, fixing my eyes to his; observing, but ignoring his antics.

"No. I can't." His smile faded to something else, a vague near-frown, and he crossed the room, sitting down beside me on my side of our bed. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder; with a gentle hand he stroked the side of my skull.

"She was crying, bawling, Ondre. I didn't know what else to do, or say…I can't force her to go on without Christina, if I can save her, I will."

"I'm not upset with you, not in the least, my Love. I'm very, very proud of you. It's not easy, being a maker, but you're doing a wonderful job of it." I sighed and relaxed, falling into his lap. "If it comes to it, I'll turn her; your hands are full as it is with Artemis."

"I appreciate it, my Love, but I'll do it. I promised her."

"And if their affections are naught but lust?"

"I'd rather not imagine that possibility, honestly." Ondre chuckled and let me rest in his lap for a moment. He pawed at my hair, since Annabelle's styling it displayed the marginal growth of one of the undead, but it finally felt natural. The way he laid it over my eye with an attentive smile brought me the same warmth I felt encircled in his arms.

"You're quite the sight to behold, my undressed immortal." I snickered and rolled over, pulling the thin sheet over my head. "No, no, no. None of that." He reached under and wrapped his fingers around my arm, dragging me from my impromptu escape.

"Please, no..." I pleaded with him but instead he pulled me to his chest and tucked a hand under my rear, lifting me from the bed in a sudden burst of vampiric speed and agility.

"Come on, you need to dress."

"How long do we have, until you leave?"

"I'm not going anywhere, not just yet, my Love." He touched his forehead to mine and stayed it for a moment; a gentle grazing of his flesh across mine. I climbed down from his towering form, my hands lingering about his shoulders and neck. "I'm going to stay here until after Christina has arrived, once she's inside I'll take my leave."

"Thank you, Ondre." I kissed the firm flesh of his breast and slid my hands down his arms; taking one of his in one of mine I lead him to our closet.

* * *

I heard Christina's outdated, overworked vehicle far before she reached our gate. Ondre stayed with me just as he said; he stood at my side on the stairs and watched as my daughter bounded though the expansive, but barren yard in an anxious frenzy. Our trees were devoid of greenery, the greys and browns of their bark were all that remained. The winter started early this year, but it had been gentle to the earth; there hadn't been snow since the night we celebrated Ondre's creation.

"She's in love." His voice trailed off while I stared after Artemis. True, it has only been a short period of time that she and I have been together but I was completely overjoyed seeing her so blissfully enamored. However, there was a fear in the pit of my stomach; mortals and immortals are not meant to mingle.

"It would seem so." I said with a short, anxious breath.

"I remember another vampire just like her. This was some time ago, you see; he was young, and beautiful, and innocent." He touched my ear with his fingertip, tickling the soft, sensitive flesh behind it; as if to make certain I knew he was talking about me. "But he was naïve and needed a protector." His hand moved from my cheek to my shoulder. "Protect her, Leon. Keep her safe and watch over her, the death of a child is…unimaginable." Sadly, Ondre knew of what he spoke. Before his rebirth he lived with a mortal woman and she conceived his child, but they were taken from him. The pain he has suffered since that day is nothing but unimaginable. I sighed, a sound marking my unease with our current situation.

"Léon." Ondre touched his knuckle to the underside of my chin, pulling my attention to his eyes. His dark, edged features caught the starlight and directed it to his beautiful, hooded eyes. His thin lips turned up in a crooked smile and he brushed my cheek with the backside of his hand. I took another breath and let it go; I had to keep my daughter safe. Ondre smiled brighter and gave his head a knock in the direction of the extensive, rolling hills of our front yard.

"Here they are." He said. Artemis dutifully walked alongside the rusted, clanging collection of metal with a smile beaming across her face. Christina saw us on the steps and waved from behind her windshield. Ondre returned the gesture, as did I, and once she reached the pavement below us Artemis raced to driver's side door of her car. I'm positive she feared us, all life fears undeath, but she chose to enter a nest of natural-born killers; her bravery was commendable, if condemnable.

"Hey!" She called to us, fighting with the door of her vehicle. She thrust her hand out through the slit in the window and waved again, then pulled it back and cut the engine; it's agonized groans dying a slow, hard death. I resisted the urge to laugh at the struggle she had with her vehicle, yet somehow I felt endeared to her, should these two become closer I would see to it that she had a quieter, more articulate mode of transportation.

"Good evening." Ondre greeted her when she stood, Artemis taking her hand as Ondre has done mine so many times before.

"Bonsoir." I smiled and stepped down to meet her.

"Hey! Thank you so much for having me over!" She walked towards me and I shook her hand, Ondre dipped his head and she seemed satisfied; perhaps Artemis had educated her on my barbarian, it would have been wise of her.

"Nonsense, it was no trouble at all." She stepped back and took in the façade of the house, her eyes rising high up the columns and flicking across the iron fencing of the unused, top balcony.

"Wow, this place is massive. You actually live here?" She unwrapped the scarf from around her neck, and threw it loosely over her shoulder. I'm sure I looked quite amusing to this human suffering from the winter cold, standing in the frigid air with a pair of black jeans, a large, white, knit-sweater, and the pink pumps Ondre bought me a short time ago. I hardly ever wore my stilettoes anymore, although I enjoyed the length they added to my legs I wore them for Ondre more than myself. I wore them around him, and when I would go out with him, but I had no qualms about going without shoes; my barbarian and I spent years running barefoot through the soggy, stony, soil of America.

"We actually live here." Ondre slid his hand across my back and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"Please, come in." I invited.

"I think I will." She grinned and began up the stairs, Artemis at her side with their fingers woven together. They strode past Ondre and me and hurried into the house. Artemis looked over her shoulder at me in a mild confusion; I put my finger in the air and met her eyes, she turned away and pushed the door to, letting it hang open the slightest bit.

"I'll be back later. I love you, Leon." He kissed the side of my face and for the slightest of moments I was almost content with such a parting, but allowing him to leave like that was absolutely impossible. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his waist, locking them behind his back, and laid my head upon his chest. He was quiet, allowing me my moment. I shut my eyes and filled my lungs with the scent of his skin; it was like the forested-earth, damp-sprinkled moss and ancient trees growing up through the cool, clean air.

"I love you. Return to me, please?" I begged with a cracked, strangled voice. My barbarian laid his hand at the base of my skull and touched his cheek to my forehead; steady, even breaths cycled through my hair with the rhythm of his respiration. His fingers moved along my neck and settled behind my ear, his thumb stretched across the short, tapered, golden hair on the back of my skull.

"I will. I always have." His words were slow, heavy, and they poured down from his lips like silver. Perhaps I heard more than he said, although I doubted that. I felt the panic brewing beneath my breast; I held my breath and gripped Ondre tighter. I couldn't explain it but I honestly felt as if our lives were drawing to a close, that Nikolas would be the beginning of our end. Any semblance of control I held only a moment before crumbled and I bit down on my lip, feeling the cold blood run down my cheek.

"Come on, now; no tears, my Love. You're showing off our home, the fruit of our labors, be happy. Smile, for me?" He touched my chin once more and lifted my face so that we were staring at each other; his face was tight with the emotion he fought to hide. I saw the fear blistering his radiant, green eyes, the same fear I felt wrapped around my throat. Yet in his bravery and in his love I was able to find a small measure of courage; I would not be so selfish again, so cowardly.

"There…" His voice softened with his face until his mouth settled into a pained smile. He touched my cheekbone and swept his thumb under my eye. I grabbed his hand at the wrist and brought it to my mouth, kissing the wide space of his palm. His eyes shut and he made a sound, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Please, before I lock myself away with you…"

"D'accord..." _Alright__..._

Another kiss, another touch of his hand and I pried my arms from around him; then he was gone. I sighed, hugged my arms to my chest, and walked to the front door of the house that Artemis left ajar. Before stepping in I took one final glance over my shoulder, I don't know what I expected to see, but it wasn't there. I walked in then shut the door and activated the security system; should any being other than Ondre attempt entry we'd all know it. I cannot say that I was ready to defend us from Nikolas, but I know for sure that I would give my life attempting to.

Artemis stood with Christina in the parlor to the right of the foyer; she informed her lady friend of exactly which rooms she liked best, and what she did to improve upon them. During these lonely weeks Artemis and I had gotten quite familiar with the staple gun, paintbrush, and sewing machine; I loved to labor over the details that went into home-making, customizing my purchases just came naturally. I listened to the pair for a brief moment, finding myself amused with my daughter's awkward delivery of standard conversation.

"Those sofas, I did those sofas." This could have easily been a slip of the tongue; her nerves were more than enough to account for several more. However Christina was a sharp, witty human and she came for Artemis without missing a breath.

"Oh, did you? Both at once, or did they take turns?" I snickered and bumped against the wall behind me. Artemis looked back with a tight face and shame burning in her eyes; it was absolutely adorable and unforgettable. I suppose she didn't expect me to laugh at her, she was so used to me laughing with her I doubt it ever crossed her mind. Needless to say I immediately regretted it.

"Ugh…" Artemis chuckled and reached for her hair. "I helped Leon re-upholster them, I meant."

"You're too cute when you're embarrassed." Christina touched her cheek, then her shoulder while the two exchanged lingering glances. I watched them for an insignificant moment before speaking.

"Isn't she?" Christina's heart jumped when I spoke, she must have forgotten I was there; something humans who aren't accustomed to the company of vampires have a tendency to do, especially once we become silent. They forget what we are and what we can do all too easily, but I doubt this one had any idea at all.

"Ah, sorry, you're kind of frightening there on the fringes." Christina said turning around.

"If you find me frightening, I can only imagine what you think of Ondre." Her face revealed she thought I was offended; rather than fish her free I let her dangle for a moment and observed.

"I don't mean anything like that! It's just…Well, he is kind of big." Artemis chuckled into her hand.

"He is rather large, indeed, but I quite enjoy his size." Christina's eyebrow shot upwards and an intrigued smile spread across her face. Artemis, who stood behind her, wore a look that was nothing but embarrassment. Perhaps it made me a bad person, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her in such social discomfort.

"Hey, speaking of Ondre, where did he go?" This was innocent enough; I had no problem addressing her inquiry.

"He had to step out; I apologize, but he should be back soon. Personally, I believe myself to be a much better host." Christina's smile grew and exposed a length of her teeth. I stood from the wall and began for the pair. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

"Oh, sure! Artemis was just telling me about the library before you stepped in; she said you have books lined to the ceiling!"

"Well, they're not all piled up to the ceiling."

"Could I see?"

"Of course, it's just this way." I lead them through the foyer, past the foot of our staircase. "The pool is through there, there's a sauna in the back." I waved my hand towards the doorway leading to the aforementioned room.

"A pool? Inside the house?"

"It's heated…" Artemis whispered in her ear. I snickered to myself and continued on to the library. "Here it is. Most of them are Ondre's; I believe he sent for them from across the ocean. He's not an avid reader, mind you, he's just had a while to collect. Did you know you can store this entire library on a handheld computer?" I found that fact both incredible and terrifying. To think an entire generation of mortals could be bred in a world without printed page; disturbing, indeed.

"Oh, God." She marveled, spinning around, looking over the shelves of books. Since our first night in the home it had grown quite full and welcoming; books were piled on books and piled higher on tables. There were books stacked beside chairs and loungers, some laid over the armrests with comfortable cracks in their spines. I could count an easy twenty that I was currently reading; there was a collection of early twentieth-century horror stories, a book written on the horrible Ebola virus and it's process of liquification of mortal flesh, there were also several from a series of fiction by a prominent, immortal author.

"Don't mistake my astonishment surrounding modern technology for admiration; I much prefer the weight and scent of bound-literature."

"Me too! I love the smell of old books; when they get that acrid, acidic smell. I love that, the slightest little burn to the nose." Christina pinched her fingers together and moved them under her nose; she was so animated when she spoke, smiling and flailing with joy and enthusiasm. I began to see what Artemis saw in her, life seemed to exude from her pores in a great, warm cloud.

"Well, slight to you, anyway." I smiled at her and stepped away, crossing towards the door. I let her look for a moment before catching her attention. "As I said earlier, the pool is here." I said to her as we stepped through the small passage to the tiled floor and walls. "The doorway on the other side of the staircase leads here as well."

"This is just lovely! Look at these lights! Are they bronze, is that bronze?" Christina exclaimed, pointing up to the illuminated lotuses hanging over the water.

"Yes, they are." I walked a short length along the width of the basin and stared up at the fixtures. They were even more beautiful than when I spied them in Olivia's digital catalogue; every petal was an arrowhead of rolled, flattened bronze cast around a bright, fluorescent bulb. Ondre saw them and could certainly appreciate their craftsmanship, but I absolutely adored them.

"Damn, they must have been a pretty penny."

"Several very pretty pennies actually." I corrected.

"I'm sure." She chuckled and peered down into the water.

"I can't wait to show you." Artemis whispered in her ear, I heard but chose not to intervene; she was enamored with this girl, I would not stop them from whatever they chose to do. They murmured together, slowly losing awareness of their surroundings. Perhaps this was something that happened between the heartbeats of lovers; I had found myself lost in Ondre's words and eyes on more occasions than I could begin to recall. He just had that effect on me, always did.

During the showing of my home I thought back to the day I was given a tour of the executive mansion by the steward to the former King of Virginia. Annabelle was a much better hostess than me; she was buying my trust, after all. Although I had mixed feelings over her death, particularly my role in it, she and I had bonded; I missed her and her never-ending parade of clothing. I had many, many fabulous clothes stored away in my closet but I would not be sharing them with anyone, Artemis had taken enough as it was.

After the pool I took them to the kitchen, a room which Artemis' human found most humorous. There was an immense French-door refrigerator made of dark, stainless steel stocked full of True Blood bundles and a microwave on the countertop beside it. Aside from these two, the sink, and the trashcan, the kitchen was barren. Its lack of appliances was totally sensible for an immortal. Mortals, however, prefer their food dead, flayed open, and roasted; how utterly unappealing.

"No stove?"

"No, we don't really cook in this house." I said, catching her eyes in a laugh. Perhaps I never paid much attention to it, but the eyes of a mortal are significantly different from those of the immortal; ours were brighter, more vibrant and vivid, seeming to shift their patterns with our emotions, hers were joyous and cheerful, but the glow of life overshadowed their beauty.

"Would you like to see the upstairs? That's where the truly amazing pieces are, the bedroom."

"Aren't they always?" Christina added. I liked this human a great deal, she was a pleasure to be around and I would certainly see to it that Artemis invited her again; if she was here in my home I could be sure she was safe. After leaving the kitchen I lead the girls back through the house and up the stairs; Christina and Artemis clasped hands and walked up behind me.

"My God, Leon, you have a really nice…Err…bottom." Christina's voice quieted as she progressed with her statement, as if I scared her. If I did, I was okay with that; she needed to be scared of vampires, but I meant her no harm.

"Is that truly what you wanted to say?"

"Well, no, not really."

"Enough censoring yourself, feel free to compliment my ass anytime you see fit." Both girls giggled on this one and I continued up the stairs. The door to the bedroom I shared with Ondre was the first one on the hallway; I opened the doors and stepped in.

"This is your room?" She asked with a gaping jaw.

"It is. Would you like to come in?" I offered to her and she timidly walked through the doorway.

"Whoa! This is unbelievable!" She strode to the sectional-sofa, running her hands over its smooth, polished surface. "Look at the color of this wood, and the pattern of these cushions! Did you upholster these too?" I nodded and walked along behind her.

"I had some help, but the fabric choice was all me." Artemis rolled her eyes and shook her head; she held several reservations over my choice that night at the store downtown. She was convinced the amber pattern would be too loud and choke out the rest of the room, I saw things otherwise but she helped me stich them together regardless.

"Could I?" She turned and asked me, I nodded and waved my hand over the plush, patterned cushion. She took a seat, pushing down on the padded sofa with her hands, adjusting her position. "Wow. This is amazing." She leaned back, her arms stretching out across the back of the frame.

"Thank you." Artemis hurried through the narrow opening between the seating and the grindstone-coffee table to sit beside her human. I sat across from them and rested my feet on the thick, coarse rock between us; Christina eyed my shoes and wiggled her brow then drew a breath to speak.

"I love your shoes. You know, I find stilettoes incredibly sexy, regardless of the gender of the person's feet inhabiting them. Now, don't get me wrong, some women who wear them have no business squeezing their feet into them. But you, I swear, you wear them better than anyone I've ever seen." I laughed under my breath and smiled up at her; they were the shoes Ondre bought me, maybe they were just a passing thought, but he chose them for me. Regardless of how simple they might have been, I loved them for the simple fact that they came directly from Ondre, he wanted me to have them.

"Thank you." I laid one leg over the other then began to turn my foot this way and that. "I really do love what they do for my legs; they drive Ondre absolutely wild, I couldn't tell you why, he just likes how I wear them, I suppose. Goodness! I was wearing a pair of wedges at the local airport a few months ago when this behemoth of a man, clutching his bible, thought he could insult me over my choice of footwear."

"What did you do?" Artemis asked. She had never heard the story, I wasn't particularly proud of my reaction, although I certainly enjoyed his.

"Well, I scared the hell out of him. He dropped his bible and ran out of the terminal, clutching his cross, like it would have done him any good." Artemis laughed, as did Christina, but for different reasons; Artemis was finally growing into her vampirism, she enjoyed playing with humans as much as I did, Christina laughed imagining his reaction, nothing more.

"Oh, Leon, you could have killed that man!" Christina said, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she laughed.

"Yes, I could have." I said preceding a long, uncomfortable silence. The human in the room shifted around in her seat, seeming to grow increasingly uncomfortable with my unabashed statements. There was a growing energy in the room, an uneasy, anxious energy, like the quiet before someone says something against their better judgment.

"Excuse me for asking, but is everything alright?" I was quiet for a second and narrowed my eyes at her, cocking my head as I spoke.

"In what regard, exactly?"

"Well, I just thought Ondre would be back by now, is everything—" She stopped herself, my silence no longer as easily overlooked as before.

"Forgive me, but I'm not entirely sure what you mean. As I said before, Ondre had business to attend to; he could not stay but should return soon. Believe me, no one desires his company more so than myself. And personally, I'd prefer you keep the number of occurrences in which his name passes your lips to a minimum." She smiled, made an awkward, distressed sound, and nodded. Perhaps I had offended her, though honestly, I was unconcerned. Either way I resurrected the conversation.

"That's a lovely ring, may I?" I moved forward and pointed to one of her well-manicured fingers. Her face brightened; the momentary tension of having thought offending me passed quickly, she nodded twice and held her hand up for me. I shot across the room and sat down in front of her, taking her hand in mine; moving before her heart could beat again I had certainly frightened her. Maybe I shouldn't have come across the space so quickly but she chose to enter the home of a family of immortals, what did she expect?

"It's quite nice." It was a simple band of braided gold; very beautiful and very old. Christina giggled and trembled with my touch. "Don't tell me you didn't know we could move like that?" I asked and slowly relinquished her hand, making sure my movements were as deliberate as possible. Artemis stared on with the same tight anticipation I'd seen on Ondre's face so many times before.

"No, not really." Her laugh was as nervous as I'd ever heard one and she slowly moved back away from me.

"Well, we're fast, and we're strong; you should know exactly what a vampire is capable of before you commit to one." These words were not for Christina, they were for Artemis. Her human was her responsibility and she desperately needed education

"I'm sure one of you is capable of just as much evil as one of us. I'm also sure that there are those, of both parties, who act on their impulse for evil, but if that evil exists then there has to be good. I think you're a good person, Leon, I think Artemis is a good person, you wouldn't fear for me if you weren't." I gave her words time to soak into my consciousness. This human possessed wisdom beyond her years, even if she was ignorant.

"I believe you are a good person, Christina, a very good person, and in my years I have met very few genuinely good people. Sadly these people most often die, that is the world we live in; we are the product of death and that is what we sow in this world. I do not want you to die. Do you understand me?" Christina took a breath and solemnly stared back at me.

"I understand." She said with a swallow. I looked from her to Artemis and stood from the table, walking on the edge to the outside of the sectional and continued on around. I kept quiet, feeling absolutely ashamed at myself for the way I treated this poor, innocent human; my words of comfort were spat as knives and I knew it, even as I said them.

"You're soo quiet." Christina said to Artemis after a brief moment of silence.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." She said with a sharp, anxious voice.

"Why don't you show her your room?" I suggested.

"I'd love to see it!" Artemis' face perked up and she grabbed for Christina's hand as she stood.

"It's the door following this one, same side of the hall." After Olivia left, Artemis took the room she had been staying in, and was now right beside Ondre and me. "Artemis will be there shortly, I'd like a word with her if you don't mind."

"Oh, no. Go right ahead, I'll see you then." She ducked her head and smiled at me, her eyes lingering on Artemis as she exited. Moving at immortal speed I shut the door behind her and stood between it and Artemis; she looked at me with stern, unyielding eyes.

"What was that about?" She asked slowly. Her voice was harsh and low, unlike I'd ever heard it.

"There is a killer out there, Artemis." I barely spoke, my voice near silent only Artemis would be able to hear me. "A killer just outside our doors and she doesn't understand how easily extinguished her life is." Artemis drew a short, quick breath and took a tense stance. "Artemis, listen to me!" I touched her face and stepped closer.

"I love you, and I want you to be happy; more than I can put to words I want you to have the love you desire, but if you're going to be with a human you need to at least educate her!" My daughter's eyes began to tremble and I knew I had not only crossed a line, but I had done my job as her maker. "Come on." I put my arms around her and hugged her tight. "No tears, you've got a beautiful young woman in your bed, she's waiting for you. This is your chance; ensure she drinks your blood."

"How?" She shook her head and looked away. I let go of her and plucked the tear forming under her steel-grey eye with my thumb then struck it across my tongue, reaching up to catch what remained. Artemis made a noise and somehow managed to create a face that was equal parts objection and acceptance; she let me do as I set out to and we settled closer together.

"Bite your arm and let her drink from the wounds, they'll close on their own, you know that. Afterwards, do what you want, she can stay as long as she likes, I don't care; this is your home too. But you must promise me that she will be gone before dawn. I can't have a human walking around our house, exposing us to sunlight." I couldn't stress this enough; the windows on the outer walls of our home were purely aesthetic, but the doors functioned just fine.

"Okay."

"Promise me, Artemis."

"I promise, Leon." She held my hands for a moment then let go as I opened the door to let her out. She wrapped me in a hug before leaving. It was sweet, and brought warmth to my chest. It was a different feeling than the one Ondre filled me with, but warmth all the same. With my barbarian I felt it immediately and systemically, like an awakening of my long-dead heart; to this day he could snatch the breath from my chest with nothing but a touch of his hand. What I felt with Artemis was calmer, a relaxed, glowing radiance of camaraderie.

I was silent for a moment, letting Artemis and her human relax before I began to move about the house. Sitting alone in our bedroom I was surrounded by sensory reminders of Ondre. I stretched out across our bed and laid my head on his pillow, the lush, earthy notes of his scent tickled my lungs with each inhale. I worried over his safety; he was alone on the hunt for a killer. In truth we had no greater chance to find Nikolas, no being alive or otherwise knew any more about his brother than Ondre; they had spent decades together, he watched him stalk his prey and enact his perversions.

These thoughts took me down a path I wish I hadn't begun to travel. I thought of the incident at the bar a few nights prior; the ruthless, orderly cessation of every beating heart on the property, murders Ondre and I committed without thought or hesitation. That night could have ended differently, that was certainly possible, but the flint was struck when the youngest member of the guilty party announced the presence of my barbarian. That man held a gun aimed at Ondre's heart, I felt absolutely no remorse over his death, or the death of his blood-draining comrades.

Although I firmly believe that several of the dead deserved their fate, I also believe that any number of them could have been victims of circumstance; just like Mira. Her blood literally soaked the hands of the former King, but neither Ondre's nor mine were clean of it. Annabelle laid her neck across the executioner's block, we just delivered her.

I suppose I made peace with the idea that we chose our lives over hers. That was exactly what Ondre and I did that night in the bar, we chose our lives over theirs; I would always chose Ondre. Artemis did not understand, she had yet to be in such a situation and should there be a god I'm certain she would never find herself there. Sadly, there is no such benevolence in the world, if there was a god the dead would not walk alongside the living.

Artemis and Christina giggled and played in her room; the sounds of amorous youth. I was not upset with her, far from it. She was an infantile vampire and her urges were enough to shake this house to the subterranean vault and beyond. Finally having another in her bed she wasted absolutely no time on pleasantries, the moment she shut the door to her room I heard them crashing into the walls, crawling on the floor, moaning and panting the entire time. I stayed in my room for a moment until their sounds grew wet and fleshy; at that time I tucked my phone into the pocket of my denim and began for the door.

"I miss you." I tapped on the illuminated screen. I reviewed the message and promptly erased it. Ondre had greater worries on his mind, I would not distract him. With a sigh I dropped the device back in my pocket and rested my hand on the polished railing. Another sigh and I retyped my message, sending it before I reached the bottom of the staircase. Strangely, I felt calmer after sending Ondre my thought; his response was elating, and very true to my barbarian.

"I've thought of you incessantly, is everything alright?" The text flashed before my eyes and brought me a familiar joy; he thought of me still. With so much work to be done, so much on his mind, he could take these precious few moments to ease my mind.

"Ouias." _Yeah._ I typed. "I'm fine, you wouldn't believe what those two are up to." I tapped the section of screen labeled as 'SEND' and grabbed a bottle of True Blood from the refrigerator; B-, my favorite. I popped the cap and set it in the microwave, hearing the tiny computer sound off as I entered the time and set the machine on its routine. Retrieving my phone I smiled and read over his message.

"I'm sure I know exactly what they're doing." I giggled and began to formulate my response but another of his came through. "I'd prefer it were us, rather than them."

"I concur, my Love. Hurry home."

"Soon. I love you." It came through immediately.

"Je t'aime." _I love you._ The box of radiation concluded its exposure and I retrieved my bottle, taking a drink and swiping the cap from the counter into the trashcan.

* * *

~Ondre

My Leon forced his arms from my side and with a final kiss I left him, had I stayed any longer I'm certain I would have further delayed my departure, if not stayed home altogether. I was relatively confident that he, Artemis, and her human would be safe in our home. Nikolas would not assault us; he was much too lost in his bloodlust. It was the cycle of his psychosis. His victims were disposable playthings in a game without rules.

His trophies were remnants of victories past, times when he, in his immortal fury, would torture, rape, and devour the flesh of the innocent. All immortals kill, we are death and that is what we create, but there is a distinction between the murders committed by Leon and I within a den of vagrants and the evil those such as Nikolas disseminate. For a time Leon and I eviscerated, decapitated, and exsanguinated entire families and it is also true that we took delight in these macabre machinations, but my brother is an entirely different breed.

Death irrevocably damages the heart. It sours the soul, most particularly when a being works to spread it. I took joy in murder for many years but after so much misplaced misery I could no longer stand the creature I had become; murder turned my angelic blessing in to a demented shade of his former self. I do not say I forgive myself for these murders, or that I believe such a thing is possible; I will kill until my existence is over as will Leon and Artemis and every vampire who stalks the night, but I no longer took any more pleasure from it than the satisfaction derived from self-preservation.

Nikolas preferred abandoned infrastructure on the fringes of society; factories, warehouses, any deserted building with a daylight-proof closet was a potential roost. This city in the foothills of Virginia was once a monument of industrialism, but that was a time long gone and now the temples of trade lay in total, irreversible decay. On the very edge of my territory there sat an institution for the mentally unfit, many years ago it housed hundreds of patients; it's funding gone it was now empty and became my primary target.

Its walls were overgrown with the hugely invasive Japanese vine, kudzu, it grew in a single sheet up the window frames that once brought light to the solarium and spread out endlessly over the roof. It was, indeed, the weed that consumed the south and its behavior was no different here. The winter had been one of the mildest of recent years, yet there was little greenery left; all that remained was dying and breaking away. The doors to the asylum hung open, fresh blood streaked across the concrete stairs leading to the entrance.

I stepped in and it was immediately clear immortals were here, but Nikolas was not among them. The blood had left a trail leading deeper into the heart of the sanitarium, shifting from streams to droplets of blood; a change in the way the body had been carried no doubt. Upon further inspection I discovered a nest of yearlings hiding in the hospital's underbelly, the broiler room making for quite a fitting tomb. There was an older vampire with them, obviously their maker. I could hear the infants squabbling as I delved deeper; they sat close together and bickered over the recently acquired human.

"She's mine!" One snarled.  
"He brought it for us!"  
"Mine! She's mine! If you want her, come and take her!" After this exchange I heard them fly into each other, they crashed to the floor and swarmed across the concrete. I intervened after an insignificant moment; pinning one to the floor with my foot I held the other about his neck and suspended his miniscule form high above the worn concrete.

"Put those away, you could get hurt." I warned as the one in my hand hissed, his infant-fangs protruding.

"Who the fuck are you?!" He shouted as his fingers scrambled at my grip; I tightened my hold.

"Get the fuck out of here, this is our place!" The one beneath me pleaded.

"You don't even know who I am, do you?" Their ignorance was almost amusing, squeezing the short one's throat, however, was much more entertaining. Their maker shot from a darker section of the bowels of the institution; drawn by the struggle of his disrespectful creations.

"ENOUGH!" Their creator ordered from a door that led deeper to the underground levels. "Sheriff, please, don't hurt them. They don't know—"

"They don't know what? Who I am? That this human is bleeding to death? That you captured and delivered her to your savage, ignorant Hell-spawn, with no regard for her life? I hope you plan on burning that body, or taking her into your fold." He looked on with a glimmer of defiance behind his eyes, another squeeze of his newborn's neck and he gave.  
"Yes, Sheriff! Just let them go, I'll turn her." I tossed his children his direction, first the short man, then the taller, skinnier one. They moved to retaliate, but their creator knew better.

"I command you to shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down!" They snapped to attention and he moved towards me, reaching for the girl.

"Ignore her, you know as well as I that she's yet to die. You and I have more pressing matters to attend to; quite the troublesome brood…" Their creator stared at me, drawing himself taller and wider with a breath. "Calm yourself. I'm not here for you, or them, but should I catch wind of a pair of impertinent, ill-mannered, uneducated newborns again, I will take your fangs and then their hearts. Am I understood?" The vampire was quiet for a moment then nodded solemnly. "Good, I'll take my leave then." With that I was back in the cold air of night. Perhaps it was wrong to toy with them the way I did, but for the moment I was incredibly pleased with myself.

On the other side of town there was a bank, it had been renovated many years ago and turned in to a home but the vault remained intact; I set off immediately. A railroad cut through the deep ravine on the cusp of the small, abandoned settlement, following it for nearly a mile I reached the train station and cut off towards the road. It was only a moment before the bank came into view; I circled around and observed for a short time. There was absolutely no human life here, but I could smell the blood, the rot.

The front room was large and open with a cantilever overhead that supported a dusty, moth-eaten sofa and other assorted seating. Blood was streaked across the floor and sprayed on the walls, tiny bits of flesh and bone scattered the wooden planks beneath my boots. Deeper in the dwelling I found the severed arm of a human. It had been torn from its body and forgotten; it sat before the massive steel door to the vault. There I found the remainder of the corpse, what was left had been cut to ribbons and thrown in all directions about the room. Nikolas had been here, I could see it in the gruesome mess, I could smell him. I phoned the Queen and alerted her to the presence of another body, then moved on.

From here I could think of two remaining places my brother may have chosen to inhabit. There was an isolated collection of warehouses at the heart of the city and a small correctional facility deeper in the hills. I stood on the loading deck of the train station and pondered my options for a moment when Leon came to my mind; I saw his smile and felt an ache in my heart. I reached for my phone and mindlessly stared at the dark screen, a message came through at that moment and I knew exactly why I grabbed for it.

"I miss you." His message read. I looked it over a few times before I typed one to him.

"I've thought of you incessantly, is everything alright?"

"Ouias. I'm fine, you wouldn't believe what those two are up to." I laughed to myself and continued our conversation.

"I'm sure I know exactly what they're doing." I typed quickly then sent another right away. "I'd prefer it were us, rather than them."

"I concur, my Love. Hurry home."

"Soon. I love you."

"Je t'aime." He sent, and I went back to work.

* * *

Our brief conversation brought me comfort, I'd have felt better to have him at my side but he had responsibilities, as did I. My responsibilities were locked away in my daughter's bedroom; I could hear them still, breathy coos and sighs like the songs of birds. Listening I heard Christina softly exhale, then shriek loudly; they fell silent for a moment and broke in giggles, resuming their fun. Listening was as unavoidable as it was unappealing; I grabbed my drink from the countertop and made for the foyer.

At the junction of the staircases there was a small landing of wood that formed the final step of the first flight, and the bottommost of the twins. Built into the wall of this area was an elevator to the subterranean levels of the home. The vault, which housed many of Ondre's documents along with an emergency stash of US American Dollars, was on the lowest level, the dance floor sat above it; my destination. The elevator's interior was walled with the same white paneling of the foyer and the upstairs hall lending to the cohesive atmosphere of my home, I very much liked it that way.

It was a short ride down and once the doors split almost half of my bottle was gone. I fished my phone out of my pocket and began to search through the vast collection of music I had accumulated. Ondre and I loved music, in truth I'd yet to meet a being who didn't enjoy some sort of verse, or melody; while we preferred different styles and genres we both thoroughly appreciated the art of song.

Ondre enjoyed the classics but held a special place in his heart for most musings from the era of rock. We were not together at the time but I remember it fondly; Jacqueline's club was not the first time I'd been on stage in heels. My tastes were mixed, I loved the industrial sound of electronica of the current age, although the years of swing were my absolute favorite time of America's cultural history; wartime has always lent a great hand to the emergence of wonderful music. My barbarian and I could, and would, swing until the dawn rolled in.

I chose a song and took a seat in one of the booths that flanked the dancing platform. I watched the flashing squares of the dance floor cycle through their colors; yellow, green, blue, purple, red, orange, and back to yellow. The girl singing had a truly awe-inspiring voice; it was deafening and enveloped me like smoke. I took another drink from my bottle and laid my head down on the table, I missed Ondre, I missed him dearly. It was no surprise my thoughts were of him.

I thought of a time when he and I lived on our own, we took what we desired and gave nothing back. It was romantic and dangerous and I loved every single moment of it. These were the years before our love turned sour, our lives were perfect. It took only night for our hearts to become connected, but many years for them to become one; I closed my eyes and thought of that brief, wondrous time following their union.

In the early 1930's Ondre and I spent a great deal time along the coast of the far northeast. It is a truly magnificent region where the ocean breaks along the forest and the sky meets the earth; I've seen no other place like it. There we found a small town along a cliffside overlooking the salty waters, on the tree line of this village sat a wooden cabin which Ondre and I took to. We disposed of its owners and lived there well into the winter. On nights my Love and I would lie on the cliffs and watch the salt spray over the stony shore; I remember one enchanted evening in particular.

"Come, I will hold you."

"I cannot fly!"

"Yes, you can."

"Ondre! I am a vampire, not a bird!"

"You are a vampire; I am a vampire and I float over this ledge as if the earth has moved beneath my feet. Do you not see it?" Our manner of speaking has evolved over the years, as it does with any being. "Come, take my hand, my Love." With his eyes so endearing I could not tell him no, I took his hands in mine and stood before him, staring up to his sparkling, ghastly-pale, green eyes. "You recall the night I instructed you on hypnosis? What we call glamouring?"

"I do."

"Excellent." He touched my face, gliding his thumb across the space below my cheekbone. I turned my head away and grabbed his hand. "Close your eyes, and don't forget to breathe." I saw him smile, stealing a final glance of his narrow, predatory eyes. Then I shut my eyes and felt his lips gently collide with my brow; I laughed into his chest and he drew a breath to begin again.

"You are death, you are immortal; you are endless, limitless." He whispered to me with a slow, measured cadence. "You are beyond the reach of time, eternally outside the boundaries of life and death. The confinements of humanity no longer apply to you; you are the pinnacle of creation. Stand with me on the edge of divinity, take your place at my side." Ondre's words were powerful but the sounds of them falling from his lips inspired my heart. I felt it; I felt something inside of me stir and awaken, it was very powerful and very frightening. I sucked a breath through my teeth and felt the sensation spread through my flesh. "Open your eyes, my Love."

I drew a short, hasty breath and obeyed him; seeing his glorious face was cast above the foaming waters, wind whipped his damp hair about his dark, dangerous features. The striking vision of beauty sapped me of my breath and upon the next inhale felt the empty air under my feet. I looked around and saw nothing but ocean; we were alone in the sky, hovering, floating weightless. It was too incredible to believe, but Ondre had indeed taught me to hover, a trick most commonly limited to much older immortals.

"Trust in me, my Love. I shall never betray your heart, for in it I have found the life I lost so long ago." A tear budded on the peripheral of my vision and streamed down my face; he scooped it onto his finger and flung it to the ocean. "No tears, my Love." He kissed me as we drifted over the bay and out farther across the waters. Before the dawn broke we floated back to earth and found our way out of the tangled web of ecstasy that lovers weave.

The memory brought both happiness and sorrow to my heart. He promised he would love me until the end of his eternity, and I have no doubt of the validity of that statement; we spent over fifty years apart and when we reunited I could feel the flame of his passions burning still. But the fact remains that he tore himself away from me without so much as a word of warning. I lost a part of my soul on that night, a part I thought he had been able to replace. I sighed and let an aching tear fall, losing myself in the sudden burst of pain.

"Dreaming of me again?" Ondre's voice snatched me from my memories. I looked up to see him standing over the booth; his iridescent green eyes glowed as his hand toyed with the now empty bottle I brought from the kitchen.

"I was." He let go of the glass and reached out to touch my head, his thumb grazing the crease between my eyebrows.

"I knew it, only I can make you cry so easily."

"No, don't talk like that." I made room for him and with a smile he slid in beside me.

"Why were you crying, Leon?" His voice was soft but his gruff accent was still audible.

"It's nothing, my Love. Please." I managed, trying my best to pacify his concerns. He stared at me with a pained visage, his eyes wavered and the corners of his mouth turned down in a grim frown.

"I missed you." He said sweetly, taking my hand in his; his thumb lying across my palm, his fingers stretching from my knuckles to my wrist.

"I missed you." I leaned into him and kissed his chest, desperately hoping to move on from my momentary anguish. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon."

"Don't tell the Queen, but with Christina here for the night I decided to come home to you."

"Not very responsible of you."

"No, I suppose not. But honestly, when have I ever been the responsible sort?" I chuckled and moved my free hand to his thigh, nuzzling my face to his large, muscled breast. "This one is nice, what is it?" He waved his finger in a circle in the air, signaling that he meant the music playing; it was unnecessary, I knew what he was asking.

"I can't remember the song name, but the woman singing is amazing." Ondre smiled and turned his head away, biting at his lower lip.

"Is she singing about drowning?" He squinted his eyes and focused on the lyrics.

"She is. It's very gothic, very surreal; to be consumed by a force you can't resist, with each breath giving yourself over to a power beyond your control, all the while hoping and praying for the best. It's a beautiful image, to some, I suppose." Ondre was quiet and let the verse end before saying something that struck me.

"Sounds like love to me."

"Interesting parallels..." My voice trailed off and I reached over across his chest, burying my face in the thin, transparent fabric wrapped around his torso. Ondre and I stayed underground for some time, retreating to our bedroom before dawn surfaced to a silent house. I peered into Artemis' room and saw her sleeping alone; Christina's scent was thick in the air but she was most certainly gone. I was incredibly proud of my daughter and equally pleased with her ability to carry out my word.

Ondre stood in the doorway, dressed for bed he met me in an embrace and together we moved through the room towards our bed. He had me undressed and under the sheets in the same second, then he crawled in on top of me. I smiled and wiggled beneath him, laying my hands across the back of his neck. He sank into the bed and kissed my lips twice before moving to my neck. It was tender but electrifying; I let him go on unhindered.

His lips trailed down my chest and across my abdomen; planting kisses on the crests of my hips his fingertips rested on the sides of my stomach. I closed my eyes as he ventured farther; I felt his mouth playfully sift through the patch of coarse, blonde hair above my shaft, his lips touching to its swelling head. His tongue flicked across it and he wrapped a hand around its base; with a loose fist he tugged and twisted, pulling and milking. I felt the stubble on his face scrape across my sensitive flesh, his tongue flicking across the tightening skin of my scrotum.

After a moment he took me in his mouth and began to work me with his lips, his tongue, and his hand all moving in synchrony. The fingers of his free hand fluttered down my body and searched for the space between my thighs. I lifted my legs over his head and rested my knees on his shoulders. His fist twisted and undulated around my shaft, his knuckles teasing me a bit lower with rapturous intent. His rapping escalated, as did the motions he carried out on my cock; within seconds I was lost in his movements.

He slurped and dripped thick strands of semen and saliva onto my legs, removing my organ from his mouth he slapped it to his tongue and gave it several, slow, hard, screw-like tugs. I was on the verge of a spectacular orgasm; he knew it and took me in again. The soft tissues of his mouth slid down the length, all the way to the base I felt the sheet of muscle in the back of his throat give and I went deeper.

There were bursts of magic and glittering, sparkling explosions on the fringes of my vision. Golden elixir swelled in my veins and surged through my being in pumping waves of ecstasy. With numb hands I reached down and laid my fingers on his scalp, lacing them through his short, prickly hair. He drew himself back and scraped the underside of his tongue across the tip; the thin membrane of flesh tickled me and I jerked forwards, he continued unfazed.

"No…Stop…" I scrambled across his head and pushed on his shoulders, dropping my legs to the bed. "Please. Kiss me?" Slowly, with eyes staring up at me, Ondre pulled himself off of me; my throbbing manhood fell against my abdomen with a wet, flopping sound, his lips dribbling with saliva as he climbed up and hovered over me. I circled my arms behind his neck and pulled him down to me, our lips locking together. I could taste the sweet remnants of my essence with every adventurous, undulating swipe I made of his mouth with my tongue. I took a breath from his cheek and turned my head away, latching on to his rear with my hand as he moved against me. He lurched into me, his pulsating lance leaving a crimson stripe across my inner thigh; before I could react he thrust again, and again.

"Ahg—Ondre…" I whimpered into his neck. He exhaled a harsh breath and molded his lips around the meat of my throat; they rolled over my skin and his tongue etched hasty, wet scribbles on my flesh. I gasped with his next pump, those following it slowed and he relaxed into them. I groaned and bumped his jaw with my brow; he turned away but returned and touched his forehead to mine. I shut my eyes and let my hands roam the landscape that was his body.  
The globes of muscle and fur that made his ass filled both my hands and left nothing to be desired. His back ached inwards with tiny dimples at the junction of his spinal column and his pelvis; my thumbs lingered here for a moment before sweeping up his vertebrae. The vast sheet of muscle tissue that stretched from his spine to his arm rippled with my touch and his back tensed, and then calmed with his breath. He let a low, moaning sigh as my fingertips feathered over his shoulder; one hand cupped the base of his skull while the other raced under his arm and pawed at his chest.

Our lips met again and he stretched out his arm, grabbing at the pillows under my head; his grinding going on with an intense, passionate rhythm. My shaft mashed between my body and his, squeezing, sliding, and rolling. I struggled for breath and bucked against him.  
"Nnhh…Oh…" I was nearly there, standing on the edge of a plummet towards dementedly powerful gratification. I couldn't breathe, instead I whimpered and gasped with the tempo at which Ondre collided with me. He bared his teeth and stared down into my eyes, breath filtering through his teeth on me. I could feel the elixir push into my toes, my fingers, and my groin. I unlaced my arm from his neck and forced it between us.

"Ugh! Aaahh!" I felt my fangs protrude as the sensations expanded beyond my body; I jerked and pulled on my cock spraying seed across Ondre's stomach and mine. Contemporaneously, Ondre rolled back on his knees and with eyes fixed to my hand as I spouted thick, crimson ropes; he gripped his base with one hand and achieved climax within a heartbeat. First a large, heavy glob, then a forceful blast that struck me directly in the eye. I turned my head and felt it splatter my stomach, chest, and neck. I heard him groan, slow and breathy, and I felt his hand in the mess on my abdomen.

"I'm covered." I said with a closed eye. Ondre leaned over, his cleaner hand resting on a pillow beside me.

"Fuck…I'm sorry." His hand moved in the collection and he moved closer. I kissed me when he got close and he laughed again. "I'm so sorry, my Love." He moved for my face, trying to clean it, I suppose, but there was no need. I grabbed his arm by the wrist and kissed his greasy, bloody palm.  
"Come, let's bathe."

* * *

**NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR:**  
Sorry for the delay! This chapter needed a lot of work to be presentable but I'm so proud of it. It's quite possibly my favorite to date; I love how we see the parallels between Ondre and Leon in how they deal with others. Some of you might say they're the same person, and in a lot of ways they are; they spent decades together, Ondre was Leon's mentor, his only role model, of course they're going to be similar.  
It's a long chapter at 15k+ words and over 18 pages, but I worked very hard on it and I hope you enjoy it!


	36. Heavy in Your Arms

~Ondre

Sleep did not come easily to my lonely-hearted Love. He trembled and rolled about our bed in violent, anguished thrashes. His flailing woke me, a strike to the abdomen from his elbow was more than enough to snap a tree; with a cracked rib I stood at the end of our bed, leaned against the timber post, and watched. His face twisted in his sleep, he wailed and groaned, haunted and tortured. I knew what was happening, to see his progeny jerk and writhe only confirmed my suspicions. With a heavy heart, and a steady hand, I moved to wake Leon.

"Leon, my Leon, you must wake." I petted his head and slowly laid my hand on his shoulder. "Léon, mon Amour, éveiller…" I gave him a shake and he rattled to consciousness with a cleaving swat. "Shh…It's alright, my Love." I caught his hand and touched the side of his face; his eyes searched around the space between us and his mouth dropped open.

"Ondre…" He said in a voice full of panic. "Ondre, something's wrong…" His soft face cracked and his eyes widened. "Something's wrong, Ondre. I feel it, something's wrong…Artemis." Leon shot up from the bed and sped through the room; I followed behind him. He opened the door to her bedroom and fell to the floor upon seeing her struggle.

"Oh, no…How did this happen?" His voice was hardly anything but a whimpering whisper.

"He must have gotten her after she left." Leon sat hunched over on the floor, one hand on the door knob and one over his heart. I knelt down beside him and put an arm over his shoulders. "All we can hope is that she survives until dusk; if she has not perished we shall revive her." I said the words in an attempt to comfort but I knew there was absolutely no chance of Christina becoming one of us. "Leon, you must prepare yourself to break your promise to her. Nikolas will not leave a corpse; he will tear her to pieces…"

"Je sais..." He breathed into my chest.

"When we find him you must keep her away from him, no matter what. She does not need to see her lover in such a state. We'll leave as soon as the sun sets." Leon and I would wake Artemis just before nightfall, but now we needed to dress; we needed to arm ourselves. "We need to prepare, Leon. She'll be fine—"

"I'm not leaving her." He rejected immediately, my Leon; my little warrior, brave-hearted dancer.

"I'll bring you clothes." I kissed his cheek and rose from the floor.

"I want my jacket, the one Annabelle gave me."

* * *

This was the final time I would be betrayed. I would no longer suffer at the hands of those I trusted. A great vampire once told me the only immortals one could trust were those he has made, and the one who made him. Artemis, my daughter, and Ondre, my barbarian; they were all I had, and all I would have. Annabelle, Queen Serana, Nikolas, they were all outsiders yet I had mistaken them for friends, family, even…

Not again.

I'm certain it'd be dramatic by any account, but wearing the jacket Annabelle had given me soo long ago made the perfect statement. I suppose I counted it as a trophy, at least now I did; wearing it to collect another misdeed just made sense. Ondre found it laughable, or adorable, or incorrigible; whatever he thought of it, it made him smile and kiss me. My barbarian strapped stakes to his body, several, long, thin stakes with silver tips resting in holsters on his calves. He gave me a number of them, strapped them around my legs as well, but made certain that I knew I was not to engage Nikolas, or let Artemis near him.

"He is older than you, stronger and faster by definition; he would kill you and Artemis before you could react. Leon—"

"Ondre, I know!" I pushed his hand away and went to sit beside my suffering daughter. Her body jerked and twitched. She groaned, her fists clenched around torn lengths of silk from her sheets. It hurt my chest to know she was soo pained, and to know that her heart would soon be shattered only exacerbated it. I touched the side of her face with the back of my hand, making sounds to comfort her. "Shhh…" I pulled the hair off her face and wiped blood from under her eyes.

"Artemis…mon bébé," _my baby._ "Things cannot always be the way I have promised them to be…" I kissed her forehead, her rigid body relaxing as my lips touched her skin. "I have told you things, wild, extravagant lies all for you own sake, but no more. The world is not as pleasant as I wish, and not as kind as you deserve…" I felt the tears pooling under my eyes but I fought them back and grabbed her hand. "I fear I may have damned you, rather than saved you. Yet the moment I saw you, broken and beaten, face down in the mud, I knew I had been brought to you." Ondre shifted behind me. He kept a few feet away, but stood there all the same; an act of solidarity. Artemis' body jerked again and her face twisted in pain, the blood in Christina's body calling out to her.

"I gave you a life of darkness…and you sought the light." A tear fell and struck the black sheets with their embroidered roses of silver and green. "I don't blame you or hold it against you. I love you and I loved a mortal, once." Ondre made a noise through his nose; I could nearly hear him lowering his head into it. "I don't think she will survive, I'm soo sorry my sweet child." Two more streamed down my face and off my chin. "Forgive me…please, forgive me." My words were mumbles. I touched my lips to hers, loosely holding her hands.

It was the first time I'd ever kissed her, or any woman for that matter. I never had the desire as others do and that's just the way of it. I didn't quite know what to expect of her mouth but it was soft and tense; thin lips, quite unlike Ondre's. I felt nothing but pain in kissing her, I could taste Christina on her mouth, and I could see the pain on her face when I touched my forehead to hers. With a heavy sigh I turned away from her to look back at my barbarian.

"Dusk approaches." He said quietly.

"Yes. I feel it." "Artemis grumbled and rolled in the bed, she was waking.

"Hold her, Love." Ondre respectfully commanded, moving up beside me. He leaned over her, ready to grab and restrain her should she run for the sun.

"Artemis…wake up. You must wake up." My voice grew louder. "Artemis…Artemis! As your maker, I command you, open your eyes and see me." I held the sides of her face and looked into her hazy blue-gray eyes as they burst open; wide and frenzied in terror. She screamed and moved to shove me away; I blocked her hand with my forearm and grabbed her arms at the wrists, holding them against the iron headboard of her bed. "Look at me, I command you!"

"Christina! Leon? Leon, what's wrong?" Her chest heaved high and she scrambled under me, forcing me to sit on her waist, tucking my legs under hers.

"Artemis, before I give you your arms back, I need to know if you're going to listen to me, because if you plan on running for the door—" Her head jerked quickly to her door. Ondre shot across the room and shut it close, standing sentry before it. "—I cannot let that happen. Will you listen to me?" She turned her head back to me and with a slight nod I let her go. She held her hands above her head for a moment then slowly let them fall to her sides. "What you're feeling, I felt it too; it woke me, how it didn't wake you…is irrelevant." I quickly corrected myself. Drawing a breath I stared into her eyes, but looked away when the words escaped me; somehow, she didn't need them.

"No…Leon, no…" Her soft voice broke and she pushed me away. "Leon! You promised me she would be okay!" She leaned forward and shoved me off of her waist then pounced on top of me; I rolled myself up tight on her bed as she hit me with heartbroken fists. "No, Leon! You fucking promised me!" She shouted and struck me in the cheek, I deserved it; I promised her the impossible, I promised I could cure the human condition. That was her last blow however. I looked to see Ondre holding her arms down by her sides, one of his curled around her waist. "Leon, you cock sucking vampire! I fucking hate you! Fucking hate you!" She struggled in his grip.

"Enough! Listen to him!" Ondre grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. I didn't want to get up; I felt something pulling me into the bed, the familiar weight that sat on my chest in these horrible moments. I sighed and forced myself up, pain in my cheek and blood on my tongue. "My Love…" Ondre groaned and reached out to touch the side of my face; it hurt, Artemis had broken several of the bones in my skull with her punch. I turned away from his hand and licked at the bleeding hole inside my mouth.

"That was a good punch." I said with a laugh that was half desperation and half indignation. "Someone has her, we don't know anything, for certain, but that; you'd have actually rested through the day if she made it home, but she did not." Artemis shook Ondre off of her, he only held on tighter, refusing to let her attack me again. "You can find her, she's still alive; she must be, if she was dead you'd know it. You can feel her still, I know you can. Dusk will be on us in minutes, you can lead us to her and we can…we'll find her." Ondre noticed my hesitation and substitution; Artemis must have as well as she kicked at him and clawed his arm.

"Close your eyes." I begged her. "We can find her. Close your eyes and lead us to her." She snorted and turned away from me but shut her eyes, I suppose it was easier to listen to me than to look at me. "Good…good." I made a nod towards Ondre; reluctantly, he let her go but did not move. "There's a piece of your body that is not here in your flesh." I touched her hand and moved off of the bed. Her fingers jerked but let me take them. I clenched them tight and rose to be close to her.

"You feel it calling you, you hear it; I know you can. Take your mind out of your skull, and put it in your blood." Artemis turned to me with rage seething through her bared teeth. She made a growl and shoved me away again.

"That doesn't make any fucking sense!" She brought her arm up again to strike me but Ondre caught her and held her tighter than before, if such a thing was possible.

"Your heart is hurt, we're all aware of that, Artemis." He said to her with his lips at her ear, his arms crossed around her waist holding her immobile. "We're here to help you, both of us. He may be your maker, and he may feel deserving of such treatment, but if you move to hit him again I can promise that you will never do it again." Ondre did not mean the words, only the intention behind them. I knew he wouldn't hurt her, but he had seen enough of my blood; I couldn't imagine standing aside as another struck him.

"Close your eyes, do as I say." I commanded her in a quiet tone that allowed no negotiation. She made a sound and struggled against Ondre.

"Please…If you love me, you'll let me find her!" She begged; realizing she might have better luck escaping from under bands of steel. "Leon!" She choked and began to cry.

"Shh~" I murmured and touched her face. "Close your eyes." With a trembling lip and quivering eyes she looked up at me then shut her eyes. "Good, now, feel your body from within. Don't move, just feel." She made another sound. "Feel, Artemis; feel your feet, your ankles and your toes." This was how Ondre taught me, and how I would teach her. She took a breath and began to feel the magics in her blood. "Good, can feel your hands, your fingers, can you feel them?" I asked her. Artemis tensed and her head turned sharply to the right.

"I…I feel something…it's like one of your calls but quieter…and sharper too, maybe?"

"Where?"

"I…I don't know! Somewhere….somewhere that way…" She wiggled in Ondre's arms, totally restrained; he let her down and she shook herself free as he moved towards me. "That way…" she pointed north. "But kinda that way too…" She pointed east. "Is that her? Is she okay?"

"I doubt it, you need to dress, we have to find…her." Ondre said slowly, she ignored him and turned towards me with a particular kind of uncertainty. Fear, hope, desolation, agitation; too many emotions to interpret, yet they were all as loud and obvious as the last.

"Get dressed, Artemis, we'll find her. I promise."

Son of a bitch, there I go again…

* * *

Artemis was new to these abilities of hers, even with my instruction she couldn't pinpoint an exact direction, much less a location. Her heart was crumbling away with each passing moment and her mind fared no better; the thought of her lover bleeding to death in some hovel tucked away from the world sat heavy on her shoulders. It would not be long now, I was as certain of that as Ondre; my sweet, awkward little newborn, however, held on hope. My barbarian had spent nearly the entire night and morning prior searching for his brother. He found evidence of Nikolas' presence, but no body, at least not his. Nikolas would not have taken her somewhere he'd have already soiled; he'd have had one picked out before snatching Christina.

There was a hospital, abandoned years ago when it's funding ran dry, but Ondre had already checked it. The bank by the train station had been checked as well. There, my barbarian found the tattered remains of a human, torn apart by a rage-filled immortal. We kept this from Artemis; as long as I could conceal the horrible truth of our kind, I would. There were other places to search, having lived in this city with its rivers and dead industry for the better part of a decade I knew of a few choice locations. My daughter cried and wept while trying to match the sensations in her blood to the physical world, but every few moments another wave of pain or sorrow would rip through her, and me, and force her to the ground.

"He's killing her…I feel her dying…" She dug her fingers into the concrete, the skin on her fingertips began to shred and blood trickled out of the wounds across the pale man-made stone. Dragging her fingers across the pavement she left ruts in the cement and brought her hands to her knees. Then, in a burst of hopelessness, she smashed the ground with her fists; pounding and banging until a cloud of dust fluttered around her.

"Artemis…" I cooed, moving towards her.

"GET AWAY!" She screamed. "I HATE YOU!" Louder than before, this time she reached out and grabbed a large slab of broken concrete, flinging it into the brick wall across the street. Before I could react she threw herself into a full sprint down the road, running faster than I'd ever seen a vampire of her age move. Ondre took off after her, and with a final look to the broken ground and cracked wall, I too gave chase.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I saw her swat at Ondre, an overhanded claw for his face. He sidestepped her only for another blow to be fired. He dodged again and again until she lunged for him, then he caught her by the waist and flung her to the wall, his hands tight around her arms holding them at her side. "Fuck you, Ondre, let me go!" She struggled.

"As your maker—"

"No...don't say it, please!" She begged.

"As your maker, I command you—"

"Leon, stop it! Stop, please! You don't understand!" She began to sob again, a flowing stream of blood from her beautiful, pale eyes. With a quaking voice, and no more hesitation, I shouted my command at her.

"You shall never again raise a hand to us; as your maker I command this of you!" She whined and fell limp in Ondre's hands. He looked over his shoulder at me with eyes I couldn't quite translate; prideful and thankful, certainly, but something more, something graver. I stepped towards her and waved my hand at Ondre, slowly, he let her down and she slumped to the ground. "Oh, Artemis…"

"I'll find her on my own, get the fuck away from me." She spat.

"No." I said calmly and reached for her hand, again she jerked away from but I took it anyway. "Come on, we have to find Christina."

"She's dead, you know it, he knows it…"

"She's not dead, Artemis, but every moment you lay here in the gutter, crying over what you can't change, is another moment that she lays dying." A tremor shot through her and she hid her eyes. "We're here to find her, stop moping and pouting and hitting people—" I made certain to emphasize that one. "—so we can put this insanity to an end. I promised you, on my blood, all that I own and all that I am, we will find her and serve justice to those who have wronged her." Artemis sat quietly, taking a deep breath, calling to her blood.

"I don't know where she is…"

"Neither do we." I stroked the back of her palm with my thumb; her fingers were short but narrow, with wide, long palms. "It'll be okay, I promise you." I kissed her hand and sat down beside her. "Listen for her, you can hear her; you two are bonded. She's speaking to you; all you have to do is listen." She relaxed and slumped down against me, her head on my shoulder, her hands held in mine. I looked up to see Ondre staring back. Seeing us soo close obviously brought him some measure of pain, he loved me and feared losing me.

What a silly waste of emotion. I loved them both, that much was certain, but while I loved Artemis, I was I love with Ondre; one would not, and could not, replace the other.

I smiled up at him and gave a nod. The smile spread to his sharp, angular face and I saw his stomach expand in a breath. With a grin, I laid my head on hers and slowly pawed at her thick, springy, chocolate-brown curls. He grinned back at me and lowered himself to the street in front of us; on one knee he reached out and laid his hand on my leg. Artemis choked on another tear and without thought I reached up and flung it to the ground. She took another breath, then a few more.

"I feel her…I can feel her, Leon! She's alive and…She's alive and I can feel her! She's alive, Leon!" She jumped up from the ground and began to bounce with anxious energy. "She…She's that way! I'm sure of it, that'a'way!" She pointed towards the north again, north-by-northeast, to be exact.

"Are you certain?" Ondre asked her, rising before I could manage to do so.

"Yes! I feel her, Leon! I can feel my blood in her body…I could feel it dripping out of her…"

"We must be quick, then."

With that my little family took off deeper into the night.

She ran through the city, the old city; the dead industrial center from a time now gone. Factories that once pumped pollution into the air from their towering smokestacks were empty. Broken glass and graffiti-marked walls along with obsolete vehicles and outdated machinery marked this place. It was avoided by all but the most desperate humans, had been that way for years. The vagrants that frequently went missing here were never missed. Thugs and thieves, liars and low-lives; it was the perfect place for a sadistic immortal to hide and kill.

I could smell death in the air, blood and fear mingled with the wind of the cold, black night. Particulate clung to the air, smoky and rusted; the massive industrial force that the city once was now lived on in the breeze as ash and oxidized iron. Foundries and warehouses lined the darkened street, a single bulb glowing on a post at the end of the road; there the area became even less reputable. I could smell something else on the breeze, something familiar.

"Christina!" Artemis shouted and took off down the road. She spun around the street light and screamed. Coming on her I saw what caused her to shout; Christina's car. The door had been torn from its hinges, dried blood in the seat, on the dashboard, and covering the steering wheel. Artemis whimpered and staggered to the vehicle, she leaned over and laid her hands on the sticky interior. She groaned and touched the dashboard, then the steering column, and finally the keys; aligned to start the vehicle.

"We're close, Artemis, we are. We must be." I reached over and touched her shoulder, her body static as the pain ripped through me. I felt it through my bond with Artemis, and she through her bond with Christina; it clawed a hole in my gut and I lurched forward, grabbing ahold of the steel frame of the automobile. My daughter doubled over and gagged on a torrent of vomit, bloodied and black. She screamed as it trickled down her chin and she fell to the pavement, landing in her own bile.

Christina's life had been extinguished; she was no more.

* * *

~Ondre

I could smell him the moment I opened the rattling steel door to the warehouse. I could smell her as well, and her death. Looking back at Leon I saw that he could too; he held Artemis back from entering, a maker's command keeping her from the door. I would enter alone, and once I had found and restrained Nikolas I would then search for Christina, but with one glance around the building I knew she would be in no less than a thousand pieces. Blood streaked the walls, splattered in the supports overhead, splashed on the dust-caked ground; this girl had suffered greatly at the hands of my maker's failure. I heard him above me, leaping from beam to beam.

"I knew you'd find me…" He said in his growling tongue. He was above me still, leaping through the steel supporting the tattered, rusting roof. "And you brought her too. I knew you would. You did love to watch the pain trickle down their faces." He sniffed the air. "Oh, and he's here too; your whore."

"Are those really what you want your last words to be?" He laughed and continued his climbing.

"You know, when I first saw him I was convinced he was yours; another progeny, how many is it now? Four? Five?"

"Something like that…"

"He's pretty, I'll give you that; maybe we'll have a bit of fun after I kill you, dance in your muck before I add him to it, his infant as well…You know, I could taste the bitch on her, in her blood; sweet and sticky." He cackled and dove through the air; he was fast, but not faster than me. I caught him in the air, and just as I did the king, connected an uppercut to his jaw and threw him to the ground. He hit the concrete with a thud, yet shot up unfazed.

He came with an overhead swipe. I dodged him easily enough then shoved the needle into his neck, injecting him with a solution of silver-nitrate. Paralyzed by the burning metal he fell from the air and slammed to the concrete, looking up at me with eyes that were nothing but disbelief. I slowly lowered myself down from the ceiling, watching the realization streak across his face. His death was closing in, he knew it.

"Now, what was it your said? You were going to dance in my muck; that was it, right?" I set my boot in his chest and retrieved my gloves; pulling them over my hands to chain him in silver. I wrapped a length around his ankles and about around his wrists, then one more tied tight under his chin. "You know, you're right. I do like this. I like watching your arrogance dribble down your cheeks. I like seeing your confidence wither away and die under the heel of my boot. I like it, I like it a lot." I looked down at his face, the blood dripping from the corners of his eyes; yet, all I saw was my maker.

"He is your brother. He is my blood, blood of your blood, Ondre." His words came sprinting to the forefront of my mind; his Sumerian as perfect in memory as it had been in life. "I chose him as I chose you. He is a fighter, he is a warrior; he is mine, he is yours, he is ours. Watch him as I have watched you, teach him as I have taught you, love him as I love you, my son." I could feel his lips on my forehead, soft and plump and wide. It rattled me to the core and resonated in my blood. Then, another memory flashed before my eyes.

I could smell the blood and the rot, the snow and the ice; a Siberian winter, as harsh and unforgiving as nature was ever capable of. Zuriel stood in the doorway looking over the carnage his youngest had created. The home Nikolas shared with his human woman, Iliana, was drenched in blood. It painted the walls and ceiling, strips of flesh strewn about the floor. None but Nikolas could enter and with no one to invite us in, rather than clean the mess we would burn the cottage to the ground and make an escape into the darkness. Ayria, Zuriel's lover and mate, took Nikolas away while my maker and I ensured my brother's mistake would go as unnoticed as possible.

"He is young, he will grow out of it, I am sure of it…" He said as we tore the timber from the outer walls of the shack. "He will mature, he only needs time; time is all he needs and all we have…" This was the very first time I'd seen my maker in such a state, soo flustered, his aura of control broken around him. We destroyed the hovel and set it ablaze then ran after our family. This memory faded as another came to my mind, a darker memory, a more painful memory.

"I cannot do this any longer…" Zuriel said with a swallow. "I denounce the ties of our blood and my dominion over you, Nikolas. As your maker, I release you…" The words broke him, he couldn't stand to see the monster he'd created; the monster he'd nurtured and made excuses for. Nikolas stood there for a moment, then with an indifferent chuckle he took off into the night.

"You should have killed him." Ayria said hanging on to my maker's chest.

"I know…" Solemn in tone he turned to me. "You must leave me. It is time for you to see the world on your own." His words struck me like a dagger to the chest and took me to my knees. His dark hand slid down the side of my face and caught a tear from my eye. He rolled it in his fingers and I saw a smile streak across his face.

"Zuriel, don't do this. Don't send me away, take me with you; show me the stars in the desert, the mountain on the plains…" I begged of him. I loved him in way that cannot be measured; to be cast aside like my brother was too great a pain to be insulting.

"You have a sweet, gentle heart my son. It will serve you well, listen to it, do not betray it."

"Don't send me away, Zuriel, please…let me come with you…"

"Do not beg me, son, you are better than that." He touched the side of my face with the back of his hand and lifted me from my knees; his thick fingers under my chin. "You are immortal, your time on this earth has only begun; but mine is nearing its end." I knew now what he intended to do and I would not stand aside.

"I won't allow it."

"That is not your decision, my child." He was calm in his resolve, and I doubted Ayria was oblivious to our maker's intentions.

"Sister, please…"

"Sweet brother, the capacity of your heart astounds us both, even now; but this is not our decision to make, it is his, and as his blood we are bound to respect it." A damp wind blew through her tight, fiery curls and Zuriel's long, black braids. I choked on my sorrow and avoided his eyes.

"Weep for me, if you must, my child, but know that I love you…" Soon after that, I left him of my own will; I took to the forbidden east while he and his mate met the sun. Escaping my memories I was drawn back to my brother, the silver in his blood had been passed but the chains about his body held firm.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" He laughed, as much as the silver around his neck permitted.

"You know who, your last toy; the one whose blood held the newborn's."

"All over...where isn't she?" Without a second's hesitation I grabbed him by the collar and bashed his face in with my fist, wailing blow after blow until nothing blood and bone remained to be seen. I dropped him, his pulverized face meeting the concrete with a soft, wet sound, and let my senses guide me. There was blood and skin on every surface; in the pre-dawn hours, Nikolas had chased her around the warehouse, playing with her as he did all of his victims. I found a bit of her scalp towards a door leading to the lower levels, her vibrantly red hair attached to the flesh, knotted and matted with blood.

Beyond the sturdy, yet worn door there were other bits of Christina, but the sight at the bottom of the stairs was something beyond description. Her skull was in shards strewn about the concrete, brain matter trampled flat around the pieces of bone. A finger laid by itself in a pool of drying blood, its dismembered hand sitting to the left, a string of muscle connecting it to a chip from her humerus. Her intestines were strung up through the empty steel shelves; dangling, leaking blood and waste. The depravity of the scene was matched only in the repulsiveness of the scent it exuded; blood and shit mingled with terror and rage.

I would not force Artemis to witness this horror; it would permanently stain her psyche. Leon would be spared too, he had seen such monstrosities before, even created them, but he knew this human; he very much enjoyed this human, his daughter had fallen for her. Neither of them should see this sight, no one should have to see these things; yet many create them and many more must live on in the aftermath. I no longer cared to view these sickening tapestries of flesh and emerged from the basement, grabbed the immortal on the concrete and made for the door.

* * *

The sliding steel door rolled open and Ondre walked out, dragging his immobile brother behind him. He threw Nikolas out of the warehouse, he landed at my feet on the shoulder of the street and my barbarian stepped out. The door rattled shut and he sent his brother farther into the road with a swift kick to his ribcage; he spun in the air and landed on his side, a fang dropping from his mouth.

"Is she in there!?" Artemis burst out. Ondre lowered his head then looked at me, I caught his eyes and he dropped them to the street. "No…she's in there, she has to be! Save her, Leon, go and turn her. Please! Leon, please!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door. "Turn her, Leon, go get her and turn her! Leon, you have to! You promised me, Leon!" She pulled harder and her voice began to tremble. "Leon! You promised me you'd do everything you could for her, and you're just gonna stand there! I fucking hate you, Leon!" She threw my hand away from her body and turned towards Ondre.

"Ondre, Ondre please, you can help her right? You can turn her? You can turn her for me, right? Please, I'll never ask anything of you ever again, just..." I believe, at this moment, her mind finally came to the conclusion she'd be forcing away the entire night; Christina was dead and no blood magic could revive her. Artemis began to pant and spin. "Just—Just—Just turn her. Save her, Leon promised me…Just—" Her words became less like language and more like sound birthed in sorrow. She spiraled, her legs twisting and tangling together she fell to the concrete and rocked herself back and forth. Her hands searched the ground in front of her and her eyes glazed over; rocking and mumbling.

"Artemis. Artemis, won't you look at me please?" Ondre knelt down beside her and spoke softly. My daughter, however, was miles away; her mind racing and her heart dying. "Artemis, I cannot give you Christina; she…she is no more." He swallowed his emotions and continued. "I cannot give you her, but I can give you him." He pointed to his brother on the street; Artemis gazed up and followed his arm to the silvered immortal.

"What?" She rocked still but stopped her incoherent rambling.

"He took her from you, Artemis. He did this to you." He tapped her chest twice with the tips of his index and middle finger. "I can't give you Christina, neither can Leon; she is gone, and he is the one to blame. Not me, not your maker, him." His arm tensed with anger and he drew his hand into a fist and brought it to his chest. "Come, sweet child." Ondre opened his hand to her; she took it and stood with him. I watched them, understanding where these actions would end. He took her to his brother and rolled him over. I could see the blood on his clothes and dried on his chin, matted in the hair of his beard and mustache.

Artemis avoided looking at him.

"No. Look at him. If you're going to kill a man, the least you can do is look at him." I recall a similar lesson from my infancy. "It has to be in the heart." He pulled up a leg of his pants and removed a polished, silver-tipped stake from the holster around his calf. Artemis looked from Nikolas to Ondre, then to me. I wanted to hold her, pull her to me and stroke her hair and tell her the sweetest lies I could imagine. I didn't want to teach her to deal with her pain through murder, but she deserved her revenge; the lesson would come later.

I nodded, or I believe I nodded, as she turned away from me and wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. She took the stake from Ondre and turned it in her hands, they trembled and she walked alongside Nikolas' body. I could hear her draw a breath and she stepped over him, lowering herself down to the pavement. She gripped the wood in her hands and brought it above her head; quaking, she dropped it to her side and let go of her breath.

We didn't speak, we didn't move, we watched.

Artemis held it above her head once more, her movements slower and steadier. This time, however, she was ready. With a shriek she drove the lance directly into Nikolas' chest. It tore through his coat and he jerked under her as his body melted and burst into a fountain of crimson. It shot up her stomach and painted her face, covering her in stingy goo and thick, black blood. She hissed through her fangs and sat there in the mess for a moment, throwing the stake aside as she rose.

I reached out for her hand but she ignored me and began down the street; she plucked bits of vampire from her body and threw them to the road, her eyes vacant and cold. Ondre touched my shoulder and kissed the side of my face. He held me soo tenderly and gently, too gently for a man with soo much strength. I turned and kissed his lips, touching my forehead to his before moving away.

"Get her home." I nodded and began after her; my fingers tangled with Ondre's, they unwound as we separated.

She was silent for a time, walking through the dark and dismal streets with her eyes to the pavement. I followed her until she stopped before a lamppost, its bulb broken and its socket long since rusted. She held herself together as best she could, sniffling and crying, she leaned back against the steel and shut her eyes. I had no words for her, they didn't exist; instead I came up to her and took her in my arms as she cried. My daughter was broken once more, as she had been before, and I didn't know if she could be repaired.

* * *

"So, all of this blood, it falls at your feet?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"And just how might that be?" Serana hissed, her nails clicking on the wooden tabletop.

"Nikolas appeared on our doorstep while Ondre was out in the area. He told of what he had done, and that he needed some help if he was to survive the repercussions of his actions."

"Why would you help him? This strange immortal?"

"He is…was Ondre's brother. I knew if I went to anyone with the news of his misdeeds he'd have been put to the stake." The Queen sat as quiet and unreadable as ever, observing and learning. She may have been unintelligent, but she was no fool. "I gave him money and told him to leave the country, he said he would but—" Her fingers were tight like iron around my neck; she had me on the floor before I could react.

"Who are you to deny justice?" She squeezed harder and I knew she had crushed my windpipe. I gasped for air but her hand only clenched tighter. "You, the bed slave of a turncoat; a whore and an assassin…how poetic." She was an inch from my face, her fangs unfurled as I scrambled for breath. "Do you have any idea what you've done!?" She shouted and her nails broke the flesh of my neck; sharp and painful, she dug them in deeper. "Six humans have been murdered in my area, miles from my home! You know what that means? Yes, of course you do; investigations, humans with their need for answers, what should I tell them?" She let me go and I turned over, reaching for my neck, blood leaking out of the tiny slits in my skin.

"Oh, detective Johnson, I had no idea soo many humans had been killed, I'll be sure to keep an eye out from now on…Is that what you want me to say? Is it?!" She spun around and threw her fists in the air. "Well, that doesn't work! They want answers! I could lose everything because of you, everything I have worked for centuries to attain; since before you were even conceived! But I will not allow that, I will not make your mistake." I felt the burning silver in my chest, its handle in the Queen's hand. "I'll kill you before I let you ruin me! I'll kill you myself, your turncoat I'll have hauled off; the humans would love to broadcast his burning…would you like that?" I couldn't leave them to her, I had to fight it; struggling for air I pleaded with her.

"Puh-Pless..don't…" I had never begged for my life before; it was beneath me. If I could not escape death I deserved it, but I could not leave Artemis and Ondre alone in this world, at the mercy of this maniacal immortal. "Don't, pl—"

"YOU DON'T GET A SAY ANY LONGER!" Her fingers were on my tongue, her eyes wide and furious above me. She grabbed my jaw hard and held my mouth open, reaching in with her other hand she began to pull me apart. I felt my jaw break and my skull split, my skin tore apart and the blood pooled in my throat.

"NO!" I shot up in the bed and raced to catch my breath, reaching up and touching my neck to feel my skin unopened. "A dream…" I swallowed the fear and shook my head, holding my hands before my eyes. "Just a dream…" Ondre moved beside me and I felt his hand on my thigh.

"Everything alright?" His fingers pawed at my skin.

"Yeah. I'm…I'm fine." I shook off the dream and lay back in the bed, without hesitation he stretched out and took me in his arms.

"It's just a dream. Let it go." He petted my forearm with the back of his hand and kissed the base of my skull, sifting through my hair with his lips.

"You know how impossible that is."

It was only this morning when Ondre, Artemis, and I found the remains of her love, Christina. I had promised her to turn her should she perish but there was nothing to save. Her body was in shreds, torn to ribbons by the unstoppable bloodlust of a vampire. I did not see what was left of her corpse, only Ondre did and he spared us the sight. It would not have been the first dismembered body I have seen, but I knew this human. Worse still, Artemis loved her; I would never be able to communicate my thanks for his prevention in the exaggeration of her agony.

Artemis walked home in a morbid silence; unresponsive, detached, and cold. Her heart was broken into a thousand unrecoverable pieces. There was a hole in her chest, a whirling vortex of emptiness sucking her soul into oblivion. She was numb to the world around her, her fingertips unfeeling, her feet unwilling to hold her. There were no gentle words to whisper, no sweet embrace with which to hold her. I was useless in soothing her suffering, and I felt it. I rolled over to face Ondre; his quiet, sage-green eyes managing to distract me from the storm in my chest.

"What do I do?"

"There's nothing you can do, you know that." He laid his arm over my waist and pulled me in tight. "All you can do, all either of us can do is be there when she needs us, and leave her alone when she wants to be alone…Right now, I'd say she wants to be alone." He kissed me again.

"I feel soo powerless, Ondre…"

"Welcome to parenthood, my Love." A tear pooled in the corner of my eye and streamed down off my nose. His hand began to scrawl shapeless forms on my back and we laid there in silence. We stayed there as long as possible, but the Queen wanted answers; after doing away with Nikolas Ondre called her and informed her the problem had been taken care of, then he hurried us from the scene. However, our Queen was an impatient one and the moment the sun had set, his phone sounded off.

"What are you going to tell her?" I asked as he dressed in our closet.

"Only what I must, nothing more." He shook his arms through the sleeves of his simple yet stylish black shirt; he wore it soo elegantly, my barbarian. He buttoned it up leaving the top two unlatched, a bit of alabaster flesh and black hair peeking out from behind the fabric.

"What of me? And Artemis? And what we did?"

"I'll think of something." Nonchalant, as always, he threw the long trench coat over his shoulder and began to pull an arm through. Coming to his side I held the other half up and helped him in, buttoning it as he fixed his collar. "You really shouldn't worry soo much; I've been lying for centuries, I'm fairly good at it." He grinned and I handed him his hat; a bowler cap with militaristic styling, soft angles made of dark green wool with black, matte-finished metal.

"Not as good as you like to think." He grinned and set the cap atop his head.

"Is that so? I've fooled you once or twice before." This was, obviously, not the right thing to say. He read the expression on my face and immediately retracted his statement. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me; I've not lied to you in a very, very long time, and I regret all the times I have before. I'm soo sorry." I watched him with crossed arms until he finished, then I smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

"Good." Our lips met and I had no choice but to forgive him; I would always forgive him. He sighed and pulled me to his chest, laying his cheek on the side of my head.

"I love you, Leon."

"I love you." I kissed his chest and tickled at his obliques. He snickered and did the same to me; it continued for a brief moment until the severity of our situation set back in on us. However short our exchange was, it distracted us from the harshness of reality, and for that I was grateful. We let go of each other and he moved towards the doorway.

"I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled at me and took off out of our house, the front door shutting behind him. With a sigh I moved through our bedroom and sat down on the grindstone coffee table in the center of our amber-patterned sectional sofa. I leaned back against the stone and laid a hand over my eyes in an act of exasperation, unsure of what to do next. Some time passed and I decided that lounging on the furniture would serve no purpose so I stood, brushed myself off, and then made my way for Artemis' room; knocking on her door elicited no response.

"Artemis?" I asked yet was met by silence. "May I come in?" Still no answer.

I truly did not want to invade her privacy. For a moment I considered turning away and crawling back to my room, but I loved her too much to abandon her so I went in without her permission. She was lying in her bed, a pillow tucked under head, against her chest; blood crusted in the corners of her eyes and dried on the pillowcase. Watching her I noticed she wasn't breathing, holding her breath would be uncomfortable but not fatal; with a single inhale I knew why she did so. Christina's scent was thick in the air, clinging to ever fiber in the room.

She was surrounded by unmistakable beauty; heavy, wrought iron twisted into headboards and benches and tables with glass tops. Dark fabrics with patterns of interlocking diamonds and bookshelves of rich cherry, her computer on her desk sat open with a darkened screen. I looked at my daughter; her vacant, emotionless stare a stark contrast to the room around her. She seemed lost within her own mind, unresponsive, or perhaps indifferent.

"I know it hurts." I kept my head down and began to move about the space. "When I banished Tungsten from my life I knew I would never see him again; wiping a person's memory tends to have that effect on a relationship…" I flashed my eyes up to see her unchanged, I don't mean to say I expected her to laugh, but I suppose I expected something. "Our worlds are not meant to mesh, when they collide…I knew we weren't meant for failure, I believe we both did; but I was able to force the truth from my mind, for a time. I hoped my denial of the truth would lead us to happiness, but…" I exhaled and let my words hang in the air.

"How?" Her words were quiet, hardly louder than a thought; asking of her own heartbreak, not mine.

"Because we are, by definition, fiendish and wicked."

"Why?"

"It's our nature to destroy life; we are death and we sustain our existence with the blood of the living…But I need you to understand that Nikolas was a monster among our kind, he had been killing humans and playing with their corpses since before I was born." I saw a fresh tear begin its descent down her face. "He was unfeeling; he gained a pleasure from murder that I am ashamed to have known myself."

"Are we all soo hellish?" Her voice was louder now and she shifted around in her bed.

"The capacity for good and evil exists in all of us, Artemis; it's the ability to choose between them that separates us from the demons who walk alongside us." Artemis was in my face before I even knew she had stood; her eyes were furious with rage and she bared her teeth, leaning over to shout at me.

"Don't you dare act like you're better than him! You gorged yourself on the blood of innocents for decades before you found yourself—" I'd never seen air quotes used in an actual conversation before now, yet I didn't find them anywhere near comical. "You're an evil disgusting abomination and I rue the day you gave me this life; I wish you had left me in that ditch where you found me, the disgrace I suffered in death is nothing compared to the agony of knowing that I am like you and Nikolas and Ondre!" I would have stood there all night and listened to her shouting, I knew she didn't mean these things, but I'd be damned before I would stand aside and let her speak about him that way. As his name rolled off of her tongue I struck her across the cheek with the back of my hand, she stumbled back and held her face, staring at me with an open mouth.

"Hold your tongue, child." My voice was harsher than it had ever been when dealing with her but just as she couldn't stop herself, I too was powerless and let the words spill out. "Say whatever you damn well please about me but keep his name off your lips! He has given you everything you now call your own; without him you'd have never met Christina, without him you'd be in a hole in the dirt with your murderer's seed planted deep in your rotting guts! I am nothing if not forgiving, but say his name like that again, and God help you, you will see a side of me that you will not believe could exist."

"You gonna hit me again? Hit me like your father used to hit you? Does it make you feel good?" Her words were more painful than the silver Jacqueline drove into my lungs; she could see them slash my face, yet she continued. "You're piece of shit, Leon! What kind of monster would hit their own daughter! I'm no daughter of yours, I fucking hate you, I'll never love you and you know it!" I felt her words swell in my eyes and stream down my cheeks. "Fucking hit me, Leon!" She shoved me, incapable of hitting me after her last command. "Hit me! I know you want to!" She pushed me again, knocking me into one of her chairs.

"As your maker—" She screamed and turned away, holding her hands over her ears. "As your maker, I command you, sit the fuck down and don't fucking move until I fetch you! Don't touch a goddamn thing!" She fell to the floor and screamed louder, pulling at her hair. With tears in my eyes I left her room and closed the door behind me. Falling against it I tucked my head between my knees and waited for Ondre to come home.

* * *

~Ondre

I left Leon and Artemis alone and raced through the night. I stopped once, for no more than five minutes to feed, and continued on towards the queen's home. This mansion had housed two monarchs; the former King, Jackson Smith, who met his end at my own hand, and now Queen Serana Torllona. Its current occupant had spent immense sums of money to alter it to match the Mediterranean styling she had known for centuries. Landing on the sprawling yard before her home I was greeted, once again, by a small number of her brood; Kira included.

"Sheriff, greetings." She purred. Without an answer I pushed past her and went to the front door, another small group met me there and allowed me entry.

"The Queen will be with you shortly; please, have a seat." One of her newborns waved his arm across the massive entryway.

"No, thank you." He bowed to me, but stayed all the same. I could hear the queen, her Italian absolutely impeccable as she spoke, rolling and flicking off her tongue as she made her way through the upper levels of the executive mansion.

"Sheriff Ondre!" She called to me from the apex of her marbled staircase, throwing her hands out in a dramatic way. "What a glorious evening this is, wouldn't you agree?" A grin on her emaciated face as she began down the stairs; her long, white dress trailing behind her.

"Certainly." She made a sound, something between a chuckle and grumble, and continued down the staircase. Near the bottom she stopped and put her hand on the wooden railing.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak with you, in private." She stepped down to my level and crossed before me, heading towards one of the several doors along the sides of the massive room. I followed behind her, the fur-lined hem of her dress fluttering as she moved along. "Artic fox, from Greenland. Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked and began to pull at the collar resting high along her neck. "I'm sure I could have a piece made for Leon, if he wanted."

"A gracious offer, but he prefers his synthetics."

"So I've heard." Another of her laughing sounds. She opened the doors and stood aside, holding her arm out before her waist. "Please, have a seat." She dipped her head and allowed me into one of her studies. It was a small room lined with bookshelves, a desk sat before a pair of wingback chairs with a fainting couch against a bare wall. I sat in one of her chairs as she moved around the desk and sat across from me. "Lovely hat, I never understood the reason humans felt the need to remove them upon entering a home…anyway, down to business. How exactly did you find him?"

"His last victim had been close with Artemis; they shared blood before he was able to take her, she led me to him."

"You and her? Alone? What of her maker, where was Leon during this?"

"Against his wishes, he stayed back; he stayed home at my behest."

"Interesting…" She touched a lithe finger to her narrow lips. "You hold an incredible power over that one."

"I have no power over him." I said curtly.

"I meant nothing by it, Sheriff; it's truly beautiful, what you and he share." I stared silently ahead; no response was needed to tell her to tread carefully. She chuckled and plucked at her lip, apparently amused at my attitude.

"The girl found in the basement, she was the one with whom Artemis bonded?" I gave her a nod. "Did you know her, did she have a name?"

"Her name was Christina, and I'd say I knew her well enough."

"Local?"

"Yes."

"What of her parents? They must miss her terribly."

"I'm sure they do, what are you planning on doing about it?" There was the first actual grin I'd ever seen on her face; it was wide and open but unfriendly, as always.

"I'm not going to do a goddamn thing about it, you are." I should have expected that; no rest for the wicked.

"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do?"

"If I have to tell you that, you're not the vampire I think you to be." With that she clapped her hands together and stood. "Well, Sheriff Ondre, I do believe that is all. Would you like an escort?"

"I need you…please…" Leon's voice sounded loud in my ears, it came from my blood; the first time since our time in the bunker in West Virginia. The queen came to my side and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Sheriff? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, good evening, my Queen." I bowed to her and blew through her house, taking to the sky the moment I reached the night air. Once I was a few hundred feet above the earth I retrieved my phone and dialed Leon's number; he answered my call after the first ring.

"Ondre…" He cried my name, his voice heavy with pain. It drove a dagger directly into my heart.

"My Love, what's wrong?"

"I…Artemis…I was in her room." He whimpered. "I was trying to talk to her, I know I shouldn't have, I know you told me to leave her alone but I couldn't just leave her alone…I should have just waited for you…she told me I'm no better than Nikolas; that I'm a monster, an abomination, said she hated me for turning her, that she would rather be in some unmarked grave than here with us." I could hear him weeping through the phone; I, too, was crying now, but did a better job of hiding it.

"You're not a monster, Leon."

"Yes I am, Ondre! You don't know…I did something I shouldn't have…" There it was; my Leon was stronger than crying over the words of a heartbroken immortal, they certainly affected him but he was crying because of what he did in response.

"What is it? What happened?" He drew a few sharp breaths and sniffled before beginning.

"I hit her…" He scrambled for his breath, his regret and remorse quickly consuming him. "I hit her…I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't have, I know I shouldn't have; even when I did it I knew I shouldn't have, but I did it...She said you were no better than Nikolas and I just…I'm a goddamned monster." Nothing I could say would make this any better, I knew that, but I also knew that saying nothing would make it worse; he needed me, they both needed me.

"Leon, you are not a monster." I made sure to emphasize this. "You're not. You're not perfect, but you're not a monster." His crying continued; sobbing, wailing, and choking on his own breath. "I'm coming home."

"S'il te plait." He ended the call before I could respond. I dropped the phone in my coat pocket and shot through the darkness, the hat I wore catching the wind and blowing away.

Leon was curled up like a child on the floor, his head between his knees, his hands down by his feet. He sat next to the door to Artemis' room, crying still has he had been on the phone. I saw him moving from side to side, completely oblivious.

"Leon…" He looked up at me and wiped away a tear with the back of his hand, he didn't say a word, only stared with damaged eyes. "My Love." I knelt down beside him and scooped him up in my arms; he wrapped his around my neck and buried his face in my chest. His sobbing began again in earnest.

"I'm a monster, Ondre. I'm no better than him." He mumbled through his tears. "What kind of man strikes their child?" The man his mother had married was not his father, Leon was the product of rape and the people he was forced to live with made certain he knew he was unwanted. He was beaten daily; his mother would shut the door behind her husband, refusing to acknowledge his screams for mercy. The thoughts left a mark on my soul, and it took all I had not to weep with him.

"Leon." I touched my head to his and laid him on our bed. "You are nothing like that man, that man hated you for no other reason that you existed. You love her, she knows you love her and she knows you didn't mean to hurt her."

"I still did it, Ondre. I hit her, my own blood. I deserve everything she called me and more…" His voice trailed off. I touched the side of his face and kissed his forehead.

"Shh~" The sound came naturally. "No more of that, okay?" He furrowed his brow and wiped away another tear on the back of his hand. "No tears." I patted his head and moved the hair from his eyes. "I'll be right back."

"Wait!" He grabbed my wrist; sticky, dried blood thick on his palm. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to speak with Artemis, I'll be right back."

"Is that smart?"

"Probably not, but it has be done. Stay here and stop with that, you're not a monster." I kissed him once more and he squeezed my hand, revealing the first smile I'd seen on his face since before I left.

"Je t'aime, Ondre." He pulled my hand to his mouth and planted a kiss on my thumb.

"And I love you." He took a deep breath and let my hand go. I gave him a grin then left our bedroom and made for Artemis'. "Artemis, I'm coming in." I did not need her permission to enter a room in my house; I went in without allowing her the time to ignore me. She was in the floor a few feet from the doorway, drawing circles on the floor with her fingertip. Without looking up at me she groaned and put her fist under his chin, her elbow on her knee.

"Did he send you?"

"No, and I'd recommend you lose your attitude, it will not serve you with me." I sat down in the floor before her and crossed my legs, same as her. She made a sound and rolled her eyes. "See, that right there. I am not your maker and I will feel no remorse from adjusting your demeanor myself if you cannot."

"You gonna hit me too?"

"I mght." She did not like this, but put aside her animosity. "You and I both know that Leon did not mean to hit you."

"But he did it."

"Yes, he did, and there are no words for how much it hurts him to know that he did it."

"That doesn't matter, you can't say sorry and make it all better."

"You're right, words can't change the past. But they can change the future." Her face twisted and I knew she did not understand what I meant. "What you said hurt him, more than you can even know. He loves you, Artemis, he gave you life and you spat in his face. You're hurting, he knows you're hurt. He feels the hole in your chest and what you said to him ripped one in his. You broke his heart."

"He tried to say he was better than Nikolas, like I don't know what he did, what you and he did." A sound came from my chest, low and grumbling; she recoiled.

"If he was anything like the monster you said he was, would he have sat outside your door, crying uncontrollably?" Her eyes flicked to the floor and she lowered her head. "I know you heard him."

"He said he knew what I was feeling, like…like someone did to him what they did to me."

"How do you what he feels? What he's gone through?"

"I don't…I guess, but that doesn't mean he knows what I feel!"

"Oh? Your maker, the man whose blood sits beneath your skin couldn't possibly know what you're feeling. He gave you life, he saved you from an unmarked grave behind your killer's house."

"I know what he did, Ondre!"

"Then you also know that he loves you, regardless of what he did or said; you know he loves you. And he knows that you love him, no one will love you more than he does Artemis, and in your heart you know that to be true." She still avoided my gaze. "He did not mean to hit you, just as you didn't mean to scream at him."

"I miss her soo much…I didn't even get to tell her how I feel…"

"No one is guaranteed anything, even the immortals. Tomorrow isn't a promise, it's a gift; you and he need to reconcile this. You're his very best friend, you and I are all he has, Artemis. You don't want him to meet his end knowing you see him as nothing but a monster, do you?" She was quiet for a time, struggling to control the emotions swarming her heart. My final image swirled around her mind as she sat in silence.

"Can you—" She began, but needed not to finish.

"I'd be glad to." I stood and touched the top of her head.

"Ondre…" She called to me when I reached for her doorknob. I stopped and turned. "Thank you, for everything."

"Of course." Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

My Love was rolled into a ball on our bed, a pillow gripped tight to his chest. He sang to himself quietly a song from his childhood, he taught me it once but the exact translation escaped me; listening to him I could hear his sorrow in the way he warbled the lyrics.

"Singing to me?" He chuckled and shook his head, pulling at my hand as I neared him.

"Would you like me to?"

"Perhaps later, someone would like to speak with you." He narrowed his eyes and propped himself up with his elbow.

"Really?"

"Really." He swallowed whatever had been in his throat and sat up.

"Thank you, Ondre."

"There's no need." I pulled him to his feet; touching my thumb to my tongue I swept it under his eyes and cleared them as best I could. "Go on, take your time. I'll be here when you get back, ça va?" He giggled and kissed my hands.

"You'd think your accent would have improved."

"Yeah, you'd think." He lingered in my arms for a moment, I held him tightly until he shifted in my grasp. "Go, I'll be here."

"Okay." With another kiss he left our room. I sighed and blocked out what I could hear coming from Artemis' room, my part in it was done; now, it was up to them. Removing my coat I hung it up in our closet and went to the washroom to bathe. Before turning the faucets on I laid out two towels, one extra for my Love, and undressed. The water was steaming hot, perfect for soaking; I lay back in the porcelain basin, throwing a rolled up rag around my neck as a compress. The house was quiet, there were whispers and sobs coming through the walls but I did my best to ignore them; I waited in the tub for him to return to me.

"Room for one more?" He asked me after some time. I looked up to see him pulling the blood-stained sweater over his head, his pale flesh marked with crimson as well.

"Always." He threw the article to the floor and kicked it behind him then unbuttoned his pants and peeled himself out of them. I sat back in the bathtub and spread my legs apart; he stepped in and slid back against me, his sweet, floral scent lapping at my nostrils. His chest expanded in a deep breath and on his exhale he grabbed my wrists, laying them over his stomach.

"We just talked…and cried." He let out a laugh. "She forgave me, can you believe it? Just like that…I hit her and she forgave me."

"I knew she would."

"I didn't." He shifted his legs and nuzzled the side of his face to my chest. "She says she wants to do on a diet, True Blood from here on out." I snickered, but he wasn't having it. "Don't laugh at her, it's very respectable. I think she's doing it out of fear, though; she doesn't want to end up like Nikolas."

"That's impossible; he was demented even in his infancy. You wouldn't let that happen to her, I know you wouldn't."

"I worry, though."

"I know you do; it's natural, just don't tear yourself up over it. She's a strong, young vampire, she'll pull through. All either of us can do is hope that this is the last time she'll suffer so. You warned her against it, and regardless of her decision you stood by her; you did everything right, my Love."

"Until I hit her."

"Let that be a lesson to you, then. I know you didn't mean to, as does she."

"I know…I know. But when she said your name like that it was like I couldn't control myself."

"Don't do it again, she's entitled to her opinion, no matter how her heart twists her perception."

"Yes, you're right."

"No matter what she says, you must keep a level head."

"I will."

"And I'll be here when you can't." He was quiet for a moment after this, closing his eyes and letting loose a deep breath. I ran my fingers along his abdomen and kissed the top of his head.

"Merci."

"Of course, my Love."

* * *

**Author's notes:**  
So, this chapter was very hard for me two write; it really drained me, soo much emotion! I'm sorry if you guys were digging Christina, I was too but she had to go. :/ I really tried to explore maker-progeny relationships in this chapter, particularly how even though they're strong, they're nothing compared to true romantic love. I loved writing these scenes with Ondre and Zuriel; Ayria is one of my favorite characters, she's soo brave and loyal! So, I hope you guys like it! Leave a review if you'd like! :D  
There are four more chapters coming up, expect them along the same time-frame as the past few that have been posted.  
Thanks for reading!  
ALSO: If you're the idiot who keeps asking me why I'm reposting my story; I'm not reposting a goddamn thing, if you actually read the damn story you'd see I add new chapters. Maybe if you came off of anon I could tell you that. -_-


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